Grenade supplying Lashkar terrorist killed in overnight encounter in Kashmir
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist involved in supplying grenades used in several attacks was killed by security forces after an overnight gunbattle in Awantipora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.
The operation was launched on Monday evening by the Indian Army and state police in Kawni village of Awantipora, officials said.
The body of the terrorist has been recovered from the site of the gun battle and has been identified as Ufaid Farooq Lone alias Abu Muslim, a resident of Awantipora, they added.
The operation is still on, officials said.
The gunbattle came on a day the Financial Action Task Force, or FATF’s Asia affiliate, the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) report said Pakistan “has not taken sufficient” measures to fully implement its 40 recommendations against all listed individuals and entities particularly those associated with Hafiz Saeed-founded terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
The latest report of the global watchdog to counter terror financing and money laundering also slammed Pakistan’s central bank and its market regulator for not having a clear understanding of terror financing.
The report came ahead of October 13 to 18 meeting of the FATF’s plenary and working group meetings in Paris that will consider whether to blacklist Pakistan or downgrade its status to the “black list”.
It could entail extensive economic sanctions and impact a $6-billion bailout programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to the police, Lone joined the terrorist ranks last year and was active in Awantipora, Reshipora and around Indian Air Force’s base in Malanpora.
A college dropout, Lone went missing on July 4, 2018, and his photograph holding an AK-47 assault rifle went viral on social media.
Police had filed several cases against Lone for providing grenades to other terrorists under the arms act.
He was also charged for threatening, intimidating, beating people in Padagampora into closing their businesses and transport facilities after Article 370 was scrapped in the state.
Police also said he also motivated a student Aqib of Brawbhandina to join terrorism. Aqib, they said, became an active terrorist of Lashkar in June this year.
Source: Hindustan Times
