Three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists, including Abdul Rasheed Ghazi alias Kamran, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Pulwama attack, have been gunned down in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
According to media reports, Ghazi was a Pakistani national and was associated with the JeM. He was also a well-known IED expert. Speaking to PTI, a senior police official said, “Kamran’s role in the 14 February suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy was under the scanner of investigators.”
According to The Times of India, Ghazi trained Adil Dar, the 22-year-old terrorist who allegedly carried out the Pulwama attack.
Ghazi Sent to Avenge Azhar’s Nephews’ Death
Ghazi had been sent in to "avenge the death" of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar's nephews – Usman and Talha Rasheed – who were killed in 2017 and 2018 respectively by security forces in the valley, reported The Print.
According to a report in NDTV, Kamran was delegated the responsibility of radicalising and training terrorists in Kashmir. Speaking to the channel, a defence ministry spokesperson said, “One of the two slain JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) terrorists was a top commander and belonged to Pakistan."
Media reports also state that security forces had been looking out for Kamran for years as he travelled from “village to village” drawing youth.
IED Expert From JeM Infiltrated J&K in Dec 2018
Quoting sources, The Print reported that Ghazi was believed to have entered India on 9 December along with two aides, and was believed to be hiding in Pulwama.
Apart from being an expert in IEDs, he is also among JeM’s main trainers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the report added.
Ghazi was “one of the key trainers across the LoC and his coming here is to impart more training,” a source told The Print, adding that unlike earlier when local recruits would travel to PoK for training, they had now resorted to picking up arms without any prior knowledge or training.
The other terrorist who was killed by security forces has been identified as Hilal Ahmad, a local recruited by the terror group. The identity of the third is being ascertained.
(With inputs from NDTV, The Print, The Times of India)
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