Abu Ismail, Amarnath attack mastermind killed in Nowgam gunfight

Mastermind behind Amarnath yatra attack Abu Ismail was gun down in a gunfight on the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday afternoon. He was accompanied by an associate, who too was killed in the gunfight.

Ismail, was the operation chief of Lashkar-e-Toiba. He had led the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims in July along the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Anantnag that had left eight pilgrims dead and 19 injured.

“Abu Ismail was killed in a brief gunfight at Nowgam along with his aide,” IG CRPF Inspector General Ravideep Sahi said.

“The identity of the second militant is being established.”

The gunfight erupted when security forces launched an anti-militancy operation in the area after an input about his presence.

“As the operation was launched, the militants fired at the forces triggering a brief gunfight in which two militants were killed,” a police officer said.

-PTC News