Lashkar commander Latief Butt,aide orchestrated targetted killings in Kashmir

Srinagar, August 2;

A self-styled commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit, Latif Butt and his aide Warris Shah orchestrated targetted killings of a policeman in Anantnag and two migrant labourers in Kulgam, said officials privy to the probe.

Butt along with another LeT terrorist Zakir Ganai were spotted by surveillance cameras in an orchard in Saidpora in South Kashmir early July this year.

While Ganai was eliminated by the security forces in an encounter spanning five days, Butt managed to escape.

Butt succeeded in reactivating sleeper cells in Kashmir, who were given the task to target migrant labourers, said officials.

Chhattisgarh natives Deepak and Bhopinder, both in their 20s, were killed in a terrorist attack at a brick kiln in the Kelam area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district late Friday evening. While Deepak died on the spot, Bhopinder succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.

On July 22, Jammu and Kashmir Police head constable Ashiq Hussain was shot dead by a lone terrorist in the Lal Chowk area of Anantnag while he was on Amarnath Yatra duty.

On February 7, 2024, two non-local workers from Punjab, Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih, were shot dead by a terrorist in the Shaheed Gunj area of Srinagar.