In what was a major victory for the security forces, Abu Ismail, the mastermind behind the Amarnath attack earlier this year was killed in Nowgam area of Jammu and Kashmir. The top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist who was also known as the architect of Amarnath Yatra attack was killed during an encounter with the security forces in Aribagh area of Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar. The news was confirmed by the Jammu and Kashmir police which said that Abu Ismail was among the two terrorists who were shot in the gunbattle, as per PTI. The encounter took place on the outskirts of Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, Srinagar.

Ismail had been on the run since the strike on pilgrims in Anantnag, in which as many as seven people were killed and 32 others were injured. The security forces were looking for him for a while now. In case you don’t know who is Abu Ismail and why he is in the news, these are facts you should know:

1. A Pakistani national, Abu Ismail was one of the most important members of LeT and was expected to be the successor of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s head in Kashmir, Abu Dujana.

2. Ismail who had been a part of Lashkar-e-Taiba for almost seven years now was in his mid 30s.

3. According to a report by India.com, he was also part of a terrorist camp which was training 200 terrorists to launch terror attacks in India.

4. An earlier investigation by Intelligence Bureau had revealed that Ismail had played an important role in Amarnath attack by guiding the ground operatives of the terror outfit in the Valley.

5. Ismail was also in touch with some members of the Hizbul Mujahideen, whose cadres helped by providing the logistics during the attack. These logistics were in turn shared with the Lashkar.