Mudasir Ahmed Khan, alias ‘Mohd Bhai’, was an electrician with a graduate degree and was hailing from Pulwama. The 23-year-old had arranged the Maruti Eeco car and the explosives used in the February 14 strike.
By IndianExpress Web Desk |New Delhi | March 11, 2019 4:11:53 pm
A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operative, who was the “main conspirator” of the deadly Pulwama terror attack, was among the three terrorists killed in Sunday’s encounter in south Kashmir’s Tral, officials said on Monday.
Briefing media on the development, General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen K J S Dhillon said, “Our main emphasis was the elimination of JeM leadership and we have been successful in doing that in the last three weeks. I would like to assure that the operations against JeM leadership and foreign terrorists will continue till we eliminate them.”
He added that Mudasir Ahmed Khan, alias ‘Mohd Bhai’, who was killed in the Tral operation was one of the conspirators who plotted the Pulwama terror attack.
Khan was an electrician in Pulwama, officials had said on Sunday. The 23-year-old also held a graduate degree. Khan, police said, arranged for the Maruti Eeco car used in the February 14 suicide attack. Suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar, who rammed the explosive-laden vehicle into the Army convoy, was in constant contact with Khan, officials had said.
The other terrorist was a Pakistani national known by his “code name”, Khalid, Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, SP Pani, told reporters. Police confirmed that the two terrorists were affiliated with JeM and were wanted in connection with a series of terror crimes.
“Moreover both terrorists were involved in planning and executing several terror attacks in the area particularly Mudasir who was involved in Case FIR No 150/2018 pertaining to attack on CRPF camp in Lethpora last year and Case FIR No 08/2018 under section 18,19,20 ULAP Act. Pertinently the investigation so far conducted revealed that Mudasir was one of the key conspirators of the recent Pulwama NH convoy attack,” a police statement read.
The identity of the third terrorist is yet to be ascertained.
An encounter broke out in Tral on Sunday after terrorists opened fire at security personnel. This came after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Pinglish area following intelligence inputs about the possible presence of terrorists in the area.
Arms and ammunition, including assault rifles, were also recovered from the encounter site.