Cops: Bilal Successor Killed In Encounter

4 October 2007
The Indian Express

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday said two militants, including a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander, were killed in a joint operation of the J-K Police and the Army in Bandipore. The killed LeT commander, police said, had replaced most-wanted Lashkar commander Salah-ud-din alias Bilal, said the police. A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of 10 Para was also killed in the encounter. 'We have killed the Divisional Commander of Lashkar,' Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir range, S M Sahai told The Indian Express. 'Bilal had replaced the top Lashkar commander Salah-ud-din alias Bilal and was overseeing the Lashkar operations from Bandipore.' Abu Wafa alias Musa was killed on Thursday morning in Gamroo village of Bandipore, along with another militant, when a joint party of J-K Police and the Army's 10 Para and 23 Punjab regiments cordoned off the village after tip-offs about their presence there. 'We had information that militants were hiding in a house in the village,' Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, Viplaw Kumar said. The SSP said as the soldiers cordoned off the village, militants opened indiscriminate fire. 'We retaliated and in the encounter, two militants were killed,' he said. Police said both militants belonged to Pakistan. Two AK rifles and some arms were also seized from the slain militants, he said.