The suspected mastermind behind the terrorist attack in Pulwama in the disputed Kashmir region that took the lives of 44 paramilitary police officers has been killed by Indian security forces following a 12-hour gun battle.

Kamran, believed to be an elite member of the Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and mastermind behind one of the deadliest attacks in the disputed region, was among seven people killed in the battle on Monday.

READ MORE: India to ‘isolate’ Pakistan after suicide car bomb attack on police convoy kills 44

Two Jaish terrorists, three soldiers and one policeman were killed in the battle just 10km from the site of the February 14 suicide attack, in Jammu and Kashmir’s disputed Pulwama district.

“One of the two slain JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) terrorists was a top commander and belonged to Pakistan,” Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia told NDTV.

The Valentine’s Day car bomb attack targeted a large convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and was the worst attack on security forces since the insurgency began in the region in 1989.

The incident has led to a marked deterioration in what were already tense relations between the neighboring states. Islamabad denied allegations that it supports armed insurgents in the area, but on Monday India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the time for dialogue with Pakistan is over.

“Hesitation to take action against terrorism and those who support it is akin to encouraging terrorism,” Modi told a press conference.

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