Two militants including Abu Ismail, accused of masterminding the attack on Amarnath yatris in July this year, have been killed in an encounter with the police at Aarigam, Nowgam in outskirts of Srinagar.

2 AK 47s were recovered from the spot, said the IGP.

Muneer Khan, IGP Kashmir congratulated his team.

"It hardly took half an hour to complete operation. He was one of our prime targets," he said in a press conference, reported ANI.

Militant leadership has to be eliminated because they also misguide our children and lure them into this, he further said,

DGP Kashmir SP Vaid said the J&K Police was after Ismail since Amarnath attack took place. He was also involved in several other attacks.

Eight Amarnath pilgrims, including seven women, were killed and 19 injured after terrorists targeted a bus in Anantnag district.



The pilgrims were travelling in the bus which was not part of the convoy of vehicles taking the Amarnath pilgrims with adequate security.

Abu Ismail, a Pakistani national, had replaced Abu Dujana as the Lashkar chief after he was killed in an encounter in Pulwama in August this year.

An A+++ category militant, Dujana had taken over the reins of the Lashker-e-Taiba in the Kashmir Valley after the group's divisional commander Abu Qassim was killed in 2013. He also carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh.

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