The mastermind behind the Sunjuwan army camp attack, militant Waqas, has been shot dead by Jammu and Kashmir police in an encounter in Awantipura on Monday.

Kashmir IG, SP Pani informed media about the encounter that took place in Hatiwara area of South Kashmir’s Awantipura.

“Waqas, operation commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad, was eliminated in Awantipora. He was the mastermind behind several terrorist attacks on security forces, including the Sunjuwan attack. Weapons and incriminating materials like IED preparation material has been recovered. He is a foreign terrorist,” according to SP Pani, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir.

Waqas, a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant, was wanted for carrying out the Sunjuwan army camp attack in which seven people were killed. The attack was carried out on February 10by a group of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists who opened automatic gunfire and hurled grenades at the army camp.

Indian security forces launched an operation following the attack and three militants were killed in the retaliation. The militants were identified as Pakistani nationals. However, Pakistan denied their involvement in the attack and did not claim the bodies of the dead militants.

The encounter of Waqas is a major milestone in the anti-terror operations being carried out by the Indian security forces.