March 27
Kashmir based Militants groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e- Mohammed (JeM) recruited the most number of locals from Jammu Kashmir’s Pulwama both in 2018 and in 2019, according to a report prepared by security agencies.
The report accessed by Hindustan times reveals that 43 Locals were recruited from South Kashmir’s Pulwama District in the last year which included Adil Ahmed Dar, who rammed his car into a CRPF convoy killed 49 troopers on February 14.
The report further adds that the main accused behind the Pulwama attack were Pakistani nationals Rashid Ghazi alias Kamran and Farhad Butt who were killed during an Encounter on February 17 in Pulwama.
The report says that the maximum number of Militants killed in 2019 belonged to the JeM – 15. 10 Militants belonging to each of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and the LeT were also killed in encounters this year.
Last year, the JeM recruited about 33 locals from the Kashmir valley. In contrast HM and LeT recruited 79 and 66 local youth in 2018.
The Jammu Kashmir police added that four days prior to the Pulwama strike, JeM terrorist lobbed grenades at Palladium Cinema in Srinagar, injuring 11 people. On January 25, 2019, JeM claimed responsibility for as many as eight consecutive grenade attacks.
“The rise of the JeM was noted by the security agencies. It started with sudden rise of Afzal Guru squad in 2014. The rise of JeM is linked to the increased focus on LeT globally. The deep state just changed its terror delivery mechanism for greater deniability, “a senior officer in the security establishment whom did not want to be named said.
(With Inputs from Hindustan Times)