The Jammu and Kashmir Police Wednesday released the sketches of the four terrorists involved in the recent brutal attack on Pahalgam, killing 26 individuals—largely tourists. The names were established by descriptions from the survivors.
As per the security officials, the attack had been conducted by four terrorists – two infiltrated from Pakistan and two locals allegedly helping them for the attack.
Who are the Terrorists Identified?
Jammu and Kashmir Police identified four suspects as mentioned below:
- Ali Bhai alias Talha (Pakistani)
- Asif Fauji (Pakistani)
- Adil Hussain Thoker from Anantnag, J&K
- Ahsan from Pulwama, J&K
Pakistani Terrorists: Hashim Musa and Ali Talha
Hashim Musa, alias Suleiman, has been identified as one of the main perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. An NIA official said on Thursday that Musa, a Pakistani national, has been operating in the Valley for the last year and is suspected to have been involved in at least three earlier attacks on security forces and non-locals.
“It is suspected that Musa might be coordinating with other Pakistan-sponsored terror outfits in the Valley besides the Lashkar-e-Taiba,” the official stated.
Ali Talha, active in Kashmir for almost two years, it is said, had entered the Valley after Musa. Talha was allegedly functioning from the Dachigam forests in the outskirts of Srinagar, The Indian Express reported.
Another security official disclosed that local citizens and overground workers (OGWs) are being interrogated to elicit more information, especially regarding Musa’s activities.
Who is Adil Thoker?
Adil Thoker, from Anantag district in Jammu and Kashmir, is said to have traveled to Pakistan in 2018 and back to India a year ago. Police, according to The Indian Express, suspect Thoker has been leading the “well-trained and battle-hardened” Pakistani operatives through local territories.
Officials Tracking the Network
Security forces are stepping up the process to identify the larger support group that facilitated the movement and terror attack of the terrorists. One officer said that officials are looking into possible connections with more thanground LeT activists who have, in the past year, helped Pakistani intruders shift from the border area to interior Kashmir districts.
The investigation also has cyber monitoring at its core with the aim to identify Kashmir-origin individuals who can have been talking to Lashkar-e-Taiba and proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), using encrypted chat apps.
Thousands Detained, Reward Announced
“Most of the individuals, after the initial probe, have been let off. Over 2000 individuals were detained by security forces,” mentioned a local police officer. The detainees are mostly suspected to be ex-militants and OGWs. The police also declared a reward of Rs. 20 lakh for any leads related to the terrorists.
Top ministry officials, along with officers from the Intelligence Bureau and other central intelligence agencies, met in Delhi on Thursday. The agenda for the meeting was to decide on tougher measures to prevent infiltration, tighten border security, and uproot the support mechanism of the terror groups within the country, officials added.
