Top LeT commander among two killed in Rajouri encounter

A top-ranking Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and two others were gunned down during a fierce battle between the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and terrorists in the district of Rajouri.The terrorist, identified as Qari, was reportedly a trained sniper and an expert in Improvised explosive devices (IED) and has been active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past year.He was also believed to be the mastermind behind the attacks of Dangri & Kandi. Qari was sent to the region to revive terrorism.On Thursday, terrorists and security personnel were engaged in heavy gunfights in J&K's Rajouri leading to the death of five Army personnel while two others were left injured.Security personnel recovered incriminating materials including arms & ammunition from Qari's possession.On Wednesday, four army personnel, including two captains, were killed and two others injured in the operation against the terrorists in the Dharmsal belt's Bajimaal area.The officials said the firing was halted in the night and the area was put under cordon. Firing resumed on Thursday morning, and two terrorists were killed, they said and added that the operation is in its final phase.Those who lost their lives include Captain M V Pranjal of 63 Rastriya Rifles, a resident of Karnataka, Captain Shubham of the Special Forces, a resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid of the Special Force, a resident of Poonch in J-K, and Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Nainital in Uttarakhand.The encounter in Rajouri comes close on the heels of another gunfight in Behrote in Budhal area on November 17, in which one terrorist was killed.With inputs from PTI