LeT commander involved in Ganderbal tunnel attack killed

One-and-a-half months after terrorists killed seven civilians working at a construction site in Gagangeer of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, security forces on Tuesday neutralised a Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) commander involved in the attack in a gunfight in Srinagar’s forest area.
The encounter with the terrorist had started in Dachigam forest area of Srinagar after a joint party of police and army launched a search operation following information about the presence of terrorists on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
Army’s Chinar Corps in an update said they established contact with the militants during the searches. “On December 2, 2024, based on specific intelligence input, a joint operation was launched by Indian Army and J&K Police at upper reaches of Dachigam forest, Srinagar. During search, initial contact was established,” it said in a post on X.
Police officials, later, said the security forces managed to kill one of the terrorist, identified as Junaid Ahmad Bhat.
“In the on-going operation at Dachigam, one terrorist was killed and has been identified as Junaid Ahmed Bhat (LeT, Category A). The said terrorist was involved in civilian killings at Gagangeer, Ganderbal and several other terror attacks,” Kashmir Zone Police said in an update on X.
Seven civilians, including a doctor from Budgam, had been killed in the October 20 attack when terrorists opened fire on a construction site in Ganderbal district. The victims were labourers and staff of a contractor working on a tunnel for the Srinagar-Leh National Highway. According to police, at least two suspected gunmen had opened indiscriminate fire on the camp that housed the workers of APCO at Gagangeer in Gund area of Ganderbal district.
The officials said the operation was still underway at Dachigam to look for any more terrorists in the area.
“Operation continues in the upper reaches of Dachigam by J&K Police along with joint parties of RR and Security Forces. Further details shall follow,” the Kashmir Police said.
The security forces were continuously on the lookout for militants in the Dachigam Zabarwan belt after giving them a slip on November 10 in Ishbar Nishat area of Srinagar on the foothills of Zabarwan mountain range. An exchange of fire between the militants and the forces had ended without any causality from either side.
In November, at-least seven encounters had seen eight militants being neutralised.
On November 9, a terrorist was killed in Rampora area of Sopore in Baramulla just a day after two others had been gunned down in the nearby Sagipora.
Three terrorists, including an LeT commander, were killed on November 2 after parallel encounters broke out in Anantnag and Srinagar. It was the first major gunbattle between terrorists and forces in Srinagar in two years.
A foreign terrorist was also neutralised in Bandipora while another was killed in gunfight with the forces in Lolab, Kupwara on November 6.
The encounters follow after a series of attacks on civilians and security forces by the militants following the conclusion of assembly elections in October.