India says Delhi bombing mastermind killed in Kashmir
Source: Reuters
SRINAGAR, India, Dec 1 (Reuters) - India's army said on Friday it shot dead a member of a Pakistan-based militant group accused of masterminding bombings in the capital last year that killed more than 60 people. A statement described the man -- referred to as Ali Baba -- as a commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and said he was killed in a shootout with troops in Baramulla district, 55 km (34 miles) north of Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir. "He (Ali Baba) was a resident of Sindh, Pakistan. He was the mastermind of the bomb blasts which took place in Delhi in October 2005," the statement said. Three bombs exploded on busy Delhi streets and markets days before the Hindu festival of light, diwali. He was also involved in attacks in the Kashmir valley, the army said. Lashkar was banned by Pakistan in 2002 after being blamed for a bloody attack on the Indian parliament. The group has denied it was involved in the New Delhi blasts. The militant group, which Indian security agencies say is made up of fighters from Pakistan, rose to prominence after it carried out a series of suicide attacks across the Himalayan region in 2000. Clashes between separatist guerrillas and Indian security forces have increased in recent days. But authorities say violence involving militants and Indian security forces has declined in Kashmir since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004. More than 45,000 people have been killed in 17 years of revolt in Kashmir, which India and Pakistan claim in full and have fought two wars over.
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