Jaish commander killed in Jammu

JAMMU - A self-styled divisional commissioner of terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad who was involved in an attack on the Akshardham temple in Gujarat was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, police said Monday.

The militant was killed late Sunday in Narole forests of Mendhar in Poonch district, about 230 km north of Jammu. He has been identified as Abdullah Simi, a resident of Dabowal in Pakistan.

“Simi was involved in the attack on the Akshardham temple. The attack was coordinated from Mendhar in Poonch district,” Senior Superintendent of Police (Poonch) Manmohan Singh said.

Jaish militants had mounted a “fidayeen” (suicide) attack on Akshardham temple in Gujarat in September 2005. All the three attackers were killed. The planning of the attack and its logistics were traced to Poonch.

“The killing of the Pakistani terrorist was a ‘deadly blow’ to Jaish-e-Mohammad in particular and the militants operating in Poonch and adjoining areas in general,” a police officer said.

Singh said Simi was a coordinator of militant activities in the hill areas of Poonch district. “He was a key man in setting the tasks for the militants, besides motivating and sending the militancy-inclined youth across for training,” he added.