LeT leader and Udhampur attack mastermind Abu Qasim killed in J&K encounter

LeT militant Abu Qasim, the mastermind of the Udhampur attack on a BSF bus on August 5, has been killed in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir.

Srinagar: In a major success, Indian security forces killed top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist, Abu Qasim, after several hours of intense gunbattle in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Wednesday night.

According to Army officials, Qasim was killed in a late night encounter in the town of Kulgam in South Kashmir.

Security forces launched an operation in Khandipora village of Kulgam following information about presence of Qasim, an Army official said.

He said a fierce gun battle broke out at 2.00 am, leading to death of Qasim.

The operation began at 2 AM after intelligence that 28-year-old Qasim, a resident of Bhawalpur in Pakistan, was holed up in a house at Khandipura village in Kulgam, along with an accomplice, official sources said.

The village is located 80 kilometres from here.

A joint team of Army, police and para-military forces was rushed in and the village was cordoned off.

Meanwhile, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police K Rajendra said, "It was a great achievement for the security forces."

The wanted terrorist was the mastermind of Udhampur BSF convoy attack in which eight Army soldiers were killed in June 2013. 

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Earlier this month, Qasim had killed a police officer, Altaf Ahmad in Bandipora district.

The officials recovered an AK-47 rifle from the encounter site.