India drew first blood in its operation to identify and eliminate those behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, with top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Altaf Lalli killed in an encounter in Bandipora.
The operation is part of a wider security crackdown to track down LeT terrorists suspected to be involved in the attack that claimed 26 lives.
On Friday morning, acting on specific intelligence about the presence of terrorists, a joint search operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in Bandipora. Contact was established with the terrorists, leading to a firefight.
Meanwhile, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi arrived in Srinagar, where he was briefed on the ongoing operation in Bandipora. He is scheduled to conduct a comprehensive security review of the situation and assess the progress of the operation aimed at tracking down LeT terrorists suspected to be behind the Pahalgam terror attack.
