SRINAGAR, India, March 28 (News Agencies) - Indian security forces Wednesday shot dead Salaudin Ayubi, the head of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group operating in Kashmir, a police spokesman said.
According to Ashiq Bhukhari, superintendent of police in Budgam district, Ayubi was killed in an encounter on Wednesday afternoon, when a "police party was attacked by militants," in Poohru, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar.
One Lashkar member was killed when the police returned fire, Bhukari said. "On verification we found that the dead militant was Ayubi, the acting chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Kashmir," he added.
Ayubi, who operated in Kashmir under three aliases, was a resident of the northern Pakistani city of Lahore and had given security forces the slip after carrying out attacks on Srinagar airport in January and a police control room in February, Bhukari said.
Describing the incident as "one of the biggest achievements and a breakthrough," Bhukhari said the death of Ayubi was "a big loss to Lashkar, as he used to plan fidayeen [martyr] attacks in Kashmir."
One pistol and a wireless set were recovered from Ayubi.
Lashkar has yet to comment on the Indian assertion.
Wednesday's encounter came two days after three Kashmiri fighters belonging to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba stormed a police compound in Srinagar.
Four security men and two Lashkar members were killed in the ensuing gunfight.
