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Noor Mohammad Tantray, the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group in the Kashmir valley, was trapped in a house outside the main city of Srinagar on Monday evening along with his associates, triggering a fierce overnight gun battle.
Tantray was prominent for his diminutive 90cm (3ft) height and status as a senior Indian fighter for the Pakistan-based militant group. Police said the discovery of his death under debris on Tuesday as a “significant breakthrough”.
Elsewhere in the region, Pakistani officials said three of its soldiers had been killed by Indian shots fired across the line of control.
In a statement, the military said the “unprovoked ceasefire violation” took place on Monday in Rawalakot in Pakistan’s part of Kashmir.
Officials said Pakistan had returned fire but it was not clear whether India had suffered any casualties.
There was no immediate response from India, but the two sides routinely accuse each other of initiating fire.
Police and troops hunting for Tantray cordoned off houses at Samboora “which resulted in a fierce gun battle leading to elimination of top JeM commander Noor Mohammad Tantray,” police said in a statement.
Tantray’s two associates managed to escape, a police official said.
The 47-year-old JeM commander was described by officials as a new “security headache” when he took over as head of the group in Indian-controlled Kashmir last year.
According to police, he spent 12 years in jail after being convicted of militancy in 2003 but jumped parole two years later to rejoin JeM.
As the news of Tantray’s death spread, hundreds of residents shouting: “Go, India, go back!” spilled on to the streets, throwing stones and clashing with government forces who fired teargas and pellet guns.
At least six protesters were injured, a police officer said.
Kashmir was divided between India and Pakistan at the end of British colonial rule over the subcontinent in 1947. Both claim the entire Muslim-majority territory.
Since 1989 rebel groups including JeM have been fighting Indian troops and police deployed in the Himalayan territory. They seek its merger with Pakistan or its independence.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
Violence had been decreasing during the last decade but this year about 350 deaths have been reported following the Indian army’s anti-militant offensive, known as Operation All-Out.
Officials and rights groups say 210 suspected rebels, mostly locals, 57 civilians and 82 troops or police have been killed this year.
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Aripal, Kashmir. People attend the funeral of Noor Mohammad Tantray, the leader of the militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, who was killed in a gun battle with Indian troops in the Samboora area of Pulwama: photo by Faisal Khan/Rex/Shutterstock, 26 December 2017
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People attend the funeral of top rebel commander of Jaish-e-Muhammad rebel outfit Noor Muhammad Tantray in Aripal, Tral area of south Kashmir some 45 kilometers from Srinagar on December 26, 2017. Noor was killed in a gun-battle in Samboora area of Pulwama. @lopkaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 26 December 2017
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Kashmir, in times of darkness.: image via Rouf Bhat @RoufBhat_, 20 December 2017
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Israeli military finds “no moral or professional failures” for shooting a wheelchair-bound paraplegic Palestinian man in the head.: image via Kenneth Roth @KenRoth, 19 December 2017
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The toddler of a 24-year-old woman who was shot dead near an encounter site yesterday in south Kashmir, comforted by a relative. Tujh ko kitnuu ka lahu.... : image via Gaamuk @Gaamuk, 19 December 2017
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Mannequins decorated with warm garments are kept for display on a cold day in Srinagar, Kashmir @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 14 December 2017
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First snowfall #Srinagar #Kashmir December 12, 2017 @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 12 December 2017
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First snowfall #Srinagar #Kashmir December 12, 2017 @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 12 December 2017
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Anti–US protest in Srinagar, Kashmir on December 08, 2017@lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 8 December 2017
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Picture clicked by @lookaround81 of Dome of the Rock in #Jerusalem #Palestine on the front page of leading newspaper of @KashmirReader. @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 7 December 2017
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Picture by @lookaround81 - On the edge of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Israeli forces fired dozens of rounds of tear gas and stun grenades at hundreds of Palestinian protesters gathering to air their anger over Trump’s statement for declaring Jerusalem as Israel's capital.@lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 7 December 2017
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Photo by @lookaround81 Women pray on the birth anniversary of Muslims' beloved Prophet Mohammad, (pbuh) at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Kashmir, on December 01, 2017 Photo by Faisal Khan / @anadoluimages @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 5 December 2017
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A kid looks on during the funeral of one of the militants in Kashmir in November 2017. @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 29 November 2017
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People offer special afternoon prayers, locally known as 'Khoji-Digar', held annually at Khawaja Naqashband Sahib (RA) mosque in old city Srinagar, Kashmir November 22, 2017. @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 22 November 2017
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An elderly man rides a bicycle during restrictions in many areas of Srinagar in view of a strike call issued by the joint resistance leadership (JRL) against the civilian killings in Kashmir.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 20 December 2017
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A Kashmiri cyclist crosses barbed wire set up as road blockade during restrictions to prevent separatist called protests against civilian killings, in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 22 December 2017
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A girl and a child look on from a window of their house during a protest led by Separatist leader Yasin Malik on International human rights day, in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 10 December 2017
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A Burqa Clad woman walks past a Paramilitary soldier stands guard during restrictions in old city Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 27 October 2017
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A goat walks on a deserted Street as security forces stand guard during restrictions in old city Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 27 December 2017
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Just born.: image via Rouf Bhat @RoufBhat_, 23 December 2017
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A Paramilitary soldier stands guard as a man walks during restrictions in many areas of Srinagar in view of the strike call issued by the joint resistance leadership (JRL) against the civilian killings in Kashmir.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 20 December 2017
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Snow and a Kingfisher: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 13 December 2017
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An elderly man walks amid a fresh snowfall in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 12 December 2017
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An elderly man rides a bicycle during a fresh snowfall in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 12 December 2017
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In pix - #Kashmir #Srinagar #snowfall #snow #snowday2017: image via Umar Ganie @UmarGanie1. 12 December 2017
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Here’s @POTUS and @FLOTUS talking to children who called into the @NoradSanta tracking program.: image via darlene superville @dsupervilleap, 24 December 2017
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The Humber bridge near Hull in north east England is obscured by low cloud. Photo @ellophoto, 22 December 2017: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 22 December 2017
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A murmuration of starlings take to the sky over agricultural fields near the Israeli city of Beit Shean in the Jordan Valley: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 26 December 2017
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A murmuration of starlings take to the sky over agricultural fields near the Israeli city of Beit Shean in the Jordan Valley: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 26 December 2017 ![]()
California "weed nun" Christine Meeusen, 57, (R), and India Delgado, who goes by the name Sister Eevee, smoke a joint at Sisters of the Valley near Merced, California, April 18, 2017. Photo REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson: image via photo by Reuters Pictures @ReutersPictures, 26 December 2017
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The snowfall brought cheers to the city which was facing a dry spell. The weather office said the minimum temperature was minus 0.2 in Srinagar in Tuesday.: photo by Umar Ganie/Rediff News, 12 December 2017
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In pix - Prayers under occupation (Devotees offering prayers behind the barbed wire at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar) #Kashmir #FridayFeelings #FlashbackFriday: image via Umar Ganie @Umarganie1, 8 December 2017
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In pix - Prayers under occupation (Devotees offering prayers behind the barbed wire at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar) #Kashmir #FridayFeelings #FlashbackFriday: image via Umar Ganie @Umarganie1, 8 December 2017
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Thick fog in #Kashmir, this morning: image via Rouf Bhat @RoufBhat_, 25 December 2017
A Kashmiri woman watches the funeral procession of Noor Mohammad Tantray, the leader of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad.: photo by Mukhtar Khan/AP, 26 December 2017
Indian troops kill top militant in Kashmir: Leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based group, is killed after gun battle in disputed region: Agence France-Presse in Srinagar, 26 December 2017
Government forces have killed the commander of a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-administered Kashmir, police have said, at the end of the deadliest year for a decade in the disputed territory.Noor Mohammad Tantray, the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group in the Kashmir valley, was trapped in a house outside the main city of Srinagar on Monday evening along with his associates, triggering a fierce overnight gun battle.
Tantray was prominent for his diminutive 90cm (3ft) height and status as a senior Indian fighter for the Pakistan-based militant group. Police said the discovery of his death under debris on Tuesday as a “significant breakthrough”.
Elsewhere in the region, Pakistani officials said three of its soldiers had been killed by Indian shots fired across the line of control.
In a statement, the military said the “unprovoked ceasefire violation” took place on Monday in Rawalakot in Pakistan’s part of Kashmir.
Officials said Pakistan had returned fire but it was not clear whether India had suffered any casualties.
There was no immediate response from India, but the two sides routinely accuse each other of initiating fire.
Police and troops hunting for Tantray cordoned off houses at Samboora “which resulted in a fierce gun battle leading to elimination of top JeM commander Noor Mohammad Tantray,” police said in a statement.
Tantray’s two associates managed to escape, a police official said.
The 47-year-old JeM commander was described by officials as a new “security headache” when he took over as head of the group in Indian-controlled Kashmir last year.
According to police, he spent 12 years in jail after being convicted of militancy in 2003 but jumped parole two years later to rejoin JeM.
As the news of Tantray’s death spread, hundreds of residents shouting: “Go, India, go back!” spilled on to the streets, throwing stones and clashing with government forces who fired teargas and pellet guns.
At least six protesters were injured, a police officer said.
Kashmir was divided between India and Pakistan at the end of British colonial rule over the subcontinent in 1947. Both claim the entire Muslim-majority territory.
Since 1989 rebel groups including JeM have been fighting Indian troops and police deployed in the Himalayan territory. They seek its merger with Pakistan or its independence.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
Violence had been decreasing during the last decade but this year about 350 deaths have been reported following the Indian army’s anti-militant offensive, known as Operation All-Out.
Officials and rights groups say 210 suspected rebels, mostly locals, 57 civilians and 82 troops or police have been killed this year.
Aripal, Kashmir. People attend the funeral of Noor Mohammad Tantray, the leader of the militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, who was killed in a gun battle with Indian troops in the Samboora area of Pulwama: photo by Faisal Khan/Rex/Shutterstock, 26 December 2017
People attend the funeral of top rebel commander of Jaish-e-Muhammad rebel outfit Noor Muhammad Tantray in Aripal, Tral area of south Kashmir some 45 kilometers from Srinagar on December 26, 2017. Noor was killed in a gun-battle in Samboora area of Pulwama. @lopkaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 26 December 2017
Irrespective of his 3 feet short stature, shaheed Noor Mohammad Trali used to send shivers across 8 lac Indian Soldiers. He was a warrior who showed how to make your faults as your strengths. Rest In peace. #Martyr #Kashmir #Samboora #Tral: image via Kashmir Resists @Fahiem_Inayat, 26 December 2017
Kashmir, in times of darkness.: image via Rouf Bhat @RoufBhat_, 20 December 2017
Israeli military finds “no moral or professional failures” for shooting a wheelchair-bound paraplegic Palestinian man in the head.: image via Kenneth Roth @KenRoth, 19 December 2017
The toddler of a 24-year-old woman who was shot dead near an encounter site yesterday in south Kashmir, comforted by a relative. Tujh ko kitnuu ka lahu.... : image via Gaamuk @Gaamuk, 19 December 2017
Photograph by @lookaround81 -Villagers carry the dead body of 24 yr old Beauty Jan during her funeral in Batmura village of Shopian south of Srinagar Kashmir on December 19, 2017. @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 19 December 2017
Mannequins decorated with warm garments are kept for display on a cold day in Srinagar, Kashmir @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 14 December 2017
First snowfall #Srinagar #Kashmir December 12, 2017 @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 12 December 2017
First snowfall #Srinagar #Kashmir December 12, 2017 @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 12 December 2017
Anti–US protest in Srinagar, Kashmir on December 08, 2017@lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 8 December 2017
Picture clicked by @lookaround81 of Dome of the Rock in #Jerusalem #Palestine on the front page of leading newspaper of @KashmirReader. @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 7 December 2017
Picture by @lookaround81 - On the edge of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Israeli forces fired dozens of rounds of tear gas and stun grenades at hundreds of Palestinian protesters gathering to air their anger over Trump’s statement for declaring Jerusalem as Israel's capital.@lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 7 December 2017
Photo by @lookaround81 Women pray on the birth anniversary of Muslims' beloved Prophet Mohammad, (pbuh) at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Kashmir, on December 01, 2017 Photo by Faisal Khan / @anadoluimages @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 5 December 2017
A kid looks on during the funeral of one of the militants in Kashmir in November 2017. @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 29 November 2017
People offer special afternoon prayers, locally known as 'Khoji-Digar', held annually at Khawaja Naqashband Sahib (RA) mosque in old city Srinagar, Kashmir November 22, 2017. @lookaround81: image via Faisal Khan @lookaround81, 22 November 2017
An elderly man rides a bicycle during restrictions in many areas of Srinagar in view of a strike call issued by the joint resistance leadership (JRL) against the civilian killings in Kashmir.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 20 December 2017
A Kashmiri cyclist crosses barbed wire set up as road blockade during restrictions to prevent separatist called protests against civilian killings, in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 22 December 2017
A girl and a child look on from a window of their house during a protest led by Separatist leader Yasin Malik on International human rights day, in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 10 December 2017
Kashmiri children walk during restrictions in many areas of Srinagar in view of a strike call issued by the joint resistance leadership (JRL) against the civilian killings in Kashmir.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 20 December 2017
A Burqa Clad woman walks past a Paramilitary soldier stands guard during restrictions in old city Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 27 October 2017
A goat walks on a deserted Street as security forces stand guard during restrictions in old city Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 27 December 2017
Just born.: image via Rouf Bhat @RoufBhat_, 23 December 2017
A Paramilitary soldier stands guard as a man walks during restrictions in many areas of Srinagar in view of the strike call issued by the joint resistance leadership (JRL) against the civilian killings in Kashmir.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 20 December 2017
Snow and a Kingfisher: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 13 December 2017
An elderly man walks amid a fresh snowfall in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 12 December 2017
An elderly man rides a bicycle during a fresh snowfall in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 12 December 2017
In pix - #Kashmir #Srinagar #snowfall #snow #snowday2017: image via Umar Ganie @UmarGanie1. 12 December 2017
Here’s @POTUS and @FLOTUS talking to children who called into the @NoradSanta tracking program.: image via darlene superville @dsupervilleap, 24 December 2017
The Humber bridge near Hull in north east England is obscured by low cloud. Photo @ellophoto, 22 December 2017: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 22 December 2017
A murmuration of starlings take to the sky over agricultural fields near the Israeli city of Beit Shean in the Jordan Valley: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 26 December 2017
A murmuration of starlings take to the sky over agricultural fields near the Israeli city of Beit Shean in the Jordan Valley: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 26 December 2017
California "weed nun" Christine Meeusen, 57, (R), and India Delgado, who goes by the name Sister Eevee, smoke a joint at Sisters of the Valley near Merced, California, April 18, 2017. Photo REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson: image via photo by Reuters Pictures @ReutersPictures, 26 December 2017
The snowfall brought cheers to the city which was facing a dry spell. The weather office said the minimum temperature was minus 0.2 in Srinagar in Tuesday.: photo by Umar Ganie/Rediff News, 12 December 2017
In pix - Prayers under occupation (Devotees offering prayers behind the barbed wire at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar) #Kashmir #FridayFeelings #FlashbackFriday: image via Umar Ganie @Umarganie1, 8 December 2017
In pix - Prayers under occupation (Devotees offering prayers behind the barbed wire at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar) #Kashmir #FridayFeelings #FlashbackFriday: image via Umar Ganie @Umarganie1, 8 December 2017
A Burqa Clad girl walks on fallen Chinar leaves at Kashmir University in Srinagar.: image via BASIT ZARGAR @basiitzargar, 3 December 2017