Abu Dujana, Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) top commander in Kashmir, and another terrorist have been killed following a fierce early morning encounter in Hakripora village of Pulwama district in South Kashmir, according to Jammu and Kashmir police. Dujana was an A+++ category militant and carried a bounty of more than Rs 15 lakh on his head.

Reports said at about 4:30 am, a joint search operation was launched by 182 Battalion, 183 Battalion, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operations Group (SOG) in Hakripora village on a specific intelligence input about the presence of LeT terrorists in one of the houses. Abu Dujana and his accomplice Arif were trapped inside a house. Soon, an encounter broke out between the terrorists and security personnel.

According to a profile on Dujana, in the Indian Express, he was a resident of Gilgit-Baltistan, and had sneaked into the Valley around six years ago. Police officials said that he remained active in north Kashmir before permanently shifting his base to south Kashmir. After his elevation as the chief commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, he came on the radar of several security agencies. More than a dozen security raids and operations were conducted across south Kashmir to nab Dujana, but he escaped every time. Some officials describe him as a “brainy militant” who was a master in breaking the security cordon.

According to reports, the focus will now be shifted to the new Lashkar commander, Abu Ismail, who was named by police in the Amarnath yatra attack and Abu Qasim’s brother Abdul Rehman.