A self-styled Chief Commander of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was shot dead today in an encounter in Kupwara in a major breakthrough for the security forces.
"Qari Yasir, top most Jaish commander, was gunned down by police with the assistance of army at village Garewad in Lolab area of Kupwara," a police spokesman said.
Describing the killing of Yasir as a "big jolt" to the terror network operating in the Valley, a Defence spokesman said he was instrumental in facilitating guidance of the infiltrating terrorist columns of all the tanzeems (outfits) across the Line of Control(LoC).
Yasir was also responsible for organising the drill for reception and dispatching the terrorists to various places to cause violence and spread terror, the spokesman added.
On a tip off about the presence of the militant in the village, a search operation was launched, police said.
The militant was confronted by the search parties in the wee hours and asked to surrender, the police spokesman said, adding the ultra opened fire and in the ensuing gunfight got killed.
Yasir, a resident of Nooristan in Swat valley of Pakistan, was active in the Valley since 2005 and took over as the self-styled Chief Commander of the outfit after the killing of Sajad Afghani, police sources said.
They said he was involved in a large number of militancy-related incidents in the Valley.
An AK assault rifle, three magazines and three grenades were recovered from the possession of the slain militant, the Defence spokesman said, adding, "It was a fine example of surgical operation based on credible information and synergy between security forces".
General Officer Commanding(GoC) of Srinagar-based Chinar Corps Lt Gen Gurmit Singh dedicated the success to the sustained joint efforts by Army and Police, spread over months and the perfect understanding of the operating procedures at the ground level.
"The highest degree of professionalism is when the target is eliminated without any injury to the troops participating in the operations and with zero collateral damage," he said, and also conveyed his deep appreciation to the 'awaam' (people) for their continued co-operation to the security forces.
