Top militant commander killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir gunfight

A top militant commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit and his local associate were killed Tuesday in a fierce gunfight in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The gunfight between militants and government forces broke out at village Harkipora of Pulwama district, about 27 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The government forces started to track down the militant commander, Abu Dujana, after they received specific intelligence inputs suggesting his presence in the village, a police spokesman said.

"LeT chief commander Abu Dujana along with his accomplice was killed in Hakripora of Pulwama," the spokesman told Xinhua. "This is a huge achievement for police and troops."

Dujana was among the most wanted militants active in the restive region for quite some time. Police said he was involved in many attacks on army and police.

"Dujana is from Pakistan and was carrying a reward, for he was one of the dreaded militants active in the region," a police official posted in Pulwama said. "He was responsible for many civilian killings and attacks on government forces."

A separatist movement and guerrilla war challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between militants and Indian troops take place intermittently across the region.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.