LeT district commander killed in Kashmir

A 'district commander' of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit was shot dead in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday, police said.

"After specific information about the presence of militants, security forces surrounded Astan Mohalla (Kakapora) in Pulwama. When the hiding militants were challenged, they fired at the security forces triggering a gunfight in which Muhammad Afzal alias Talib was killed," a senior police officer told IANS here.

"The slain militant was active in Pulwama district since last year and he was on the wanted list of the security forces," the officer added.

Reports from the area said clashes erupted between a stone-pelting mob and the security forces after news about the killing of the LeT commander, who was a local, spread.