India says Pulwama attack mastermind killed

SRINAGAR: The Indian army Tuesday said it had killed the mastermind of a major suicide attack in Pulwama district of Held Kashmir which it blamed on Pakistan.Indian forces have staged operations since Thursday´s attack while anti-Pakistan and anti-Kashmir sentiment has spread across the country, fuelled by social media including widely shared false news reports.

Three militants from Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group, which claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, were killed in a gun battle that lasted much of Monday, Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon told a press conference here.

Two of the militants were Pakistanis, including the group´s "chief operations commander" in Kashmir, the army general alleged.

Dhillon claimed the attack had been "masterminded" by Pakistan. Pakistan, which banned the JeM in 2002, has denied any role in the attack.