Mastermind of Pulwama Terror Attack Believes to be Killed in an Encounter

Guwahati: According to an official report, the mastermind of the February 14 Pulwama attack is believed to have been killed in an encounter in the Tral area of South Kashmir.

It has been reported by the officials that the encounter in Pinglish area of Tral in South Kashmir's Pulwama district lasted past midnight in which Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Mudasir Ahmed Khan alias Mohd Bhai was among the three militants killed.

The officials further informed that the bodies of the three militants' are burnt beyond recognition and efforts are on to establish their identity.

It was after receiving the specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in the area that the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Pinglish and the operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire at the search party of the forces who retaliated.

The officials informed that the lesser known JeM terrorist Khan has been identified as the brains behind the audacious terror strike in Pulwama on February 14 which left more than 40 CRPF jawans dead.

The security officials further said that the evidence gathered so far is that Khan who is an electrician with a graduate degree and a resident of Pulwama arranged the vehicle and explosives used in the terror strike.

Khan joined the JeM sometime in 2017 as an overground worker and was later drawn into the terror outfit by Noor Mohammad Tantrey alias Noor Trali who is believed to have helped the terror group's revival in the Kashmir Valley and it was after his death that Khan disappeared from his home on January 14, 2018 and has been active since then.

It was informed by the officials that suicide attacker Adil Ahmed Dar who blew his explosives-laden vehicle next to a bus in a CRPF convoy on February 14 in Pulwama had been in constant contact with Khan.

Khan is also believed to be involved in the terror strike at the army camp in Sunjawan in February 2018 in which six personnel and a civilian were killed. The terrorist's role has also come up under lens in the Lethpora attack on a CRPF camp in January 2018 that left five CRPF jawans dead.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had also carried out search operation in the residence of Khan on February 27 and is also probing the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.

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