The Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday killed one of the most wanted top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Abdullah Ooni in an encounter at Batpora in Sopore.

Officials said Abdullah Ooni had spread terror in the northern reaches of the Valley in the last five years. Reports suggest that he had been instrumental in galvanizing cadres of the militant organization in Sopore town.

An IED expert, he disguised himself to escape the police dragnet at least a dozen times over the past few years, reports the Indian Express quoting the police.

Police sources also said they received a tip-off about Ooni's presence in the house of some Tariq Ahmad late on Monday night and raided the house where a four-hour encounter followed. Ooni was killed around 1 pm, they confirmed.

Media reports say Ooni was responsible for killing at least 15 civilians while the police suspect he was behind the killing of Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadees president Maulana Showkat in April this year.

Ooni belonged to Mansehra in Pakistan and had crossed into the valley during the 2005 earthquake. He is survived by his wife Tabassum Akhtar and a daughter.

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