The grisly Pulwama attack in which at least 44 of CRPF soldiers were martyred has left the country teary-eyed. The 19-year-old Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber, Adil Ahmed Dar ran into the CRPF convoy in an explosives-laden vehicle which reduced one of the 80 buses into rubble.
The entire nation grieved at the loss of its bravehearts and as the PM has assured everyone that a befitting reply will be given, security agencies are leaving no stone unturned in nabbing the masterminds behind this attack, who might still be in hiding in the valley.
Top intelligence agencies in Jammu and Kashmir believe that top JeM commander Ghazi Abdul Rasheed is the brain behind the Pulwama attack who may be still residing in the valley. Times of India reported Ghazi alias Rasheed Afghani may have had a narrow escape during an encounter which took place a few days before the Thursday¡¯s ghastly attack.
Photo: India Today/ Ghazi Abdul Rasheed
During the encounter a local militant and a soldier were also killed though, three militants managed to escape. Ghazi is considered one of the closest aides JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar. According to India Today, agencies believe Ghazi is the IED expert who trained Dar.
TOI had reported on January 3 that a Jaish commander had been hiding in Pulwama after he infiltrated the border on ?December 9. Ghazi who is also an Afghan war veteran is a specialist in warfare techniques and has been prepared in IED by the Taliban. He is considered to be one of the finest hands of Jaish.
Photo: India Today/Ghazi Abdul Rasheed
Reportedly, Ghazi had been sent to Kashmir to avenge the killings of two of his nephews, Talah Rasheed and Usman, in 2017 and 2018 respectively in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.?
A source told TOI that the 32-year-old JeM commander returned to POK in 2011 after fighting the NATO forces in Federally Administered Tribal Area and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Since then, he has been the most sought after jihadi trainer who specialises in Deeni and Askari (literature and weaponry) training in camps operated by Jaish and ISI across PoK.
The terror attack on the CRPF was believed to be executed around February 9, the death anniversary of Afzal Guru who was the main convict in 2001 Indian Parliament attacks and was hanged to death in 2013.