Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR: Security forces in Kashmir have arrested a top militant of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit in Pattan, 27 kms north of the capital Srinagar.
A Defence spokesman, Naresh Vig told FreePress that Manzoor Ahmed Khan alias Shams Bhai was held during a joint operation by 29 Rashtriya Rifles unit of the army and the special operations group of the police late on Monday afternoon.
He said Khan was chief coordinator, operations, of the LeT and operated in north Kashmir.
The deputy inspector general of police for north Kashmir, J.P Singh, said the army and the police had launched a hunt for the militant after threatening posters had appeared in various villages of Pattan area nearly two weeks ago.
He said Manzoor Khan was arrested from a vehicle adding that the security forces had also seized arms and ammunition from him.
He said the police would be able to confirm Khan’s position in the LeT only after his interrogation which had already begun.
Violence, that has killed tens of thousands of people in Kashmir, has come down significantly in the past ten years. However authorities say there might be a fresh escalation in violence in the coming months.
Reports suggest that militant groups in the valley have been making fresh recruitment and have carried out many daring attacks on security forces this year.
According to statistics by New Delhi, 36 security force personnel have been killed in militancy related incidents so far this year – an over 400 per cent increase in the same period last year.
