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A Lashkar-e-Toiba militant from Pampore is suspected to be the mastermind behind Monday's attack on Amarnath pilgrims.
Twenty-four-year-old Abu Ismail, who carries a prize of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was accompanied by three others, who opened fire on the bus.
Ismail is suspected of being involved in the killing of a young Sarpanch (village head) in Pampore in April besides being a member of a LeT module which carried out several bank robberies in recent months, a source told DH.
Ismail, who crossed over from Pakistan last year, is suspected to be an associate of Abu Dujana, the LeT commander of Kashmir. Dujana managed to give a slip to the security forces nearly six times in the last couple of years.
The increased involvement of Pakistani militants in the Valley is evident from the fact that there was no let-up in terror activities during Ramzan in June, followed by the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, which is usually avoided by homegrown militants because the livelihood of thousands of Kashmiris depends on the yatra.
“The pattern of militancy is slowly changing in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 2-3 years. Ramzan used to be peaceful and so was the Amarnath yatra. Old ideas are being changed by the radicalised youth,” said an army officer.
Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Tuesday reviewed the security scenario in the state. The Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), R R Bhatnagar, was also present. Within hours of the attack, the home ministry sanctioned deployment of two more battalions of CRPF, which would join 300 companies of the central armed police forces and 5 army battalions in Kashmir to secure the 450-km route from Lakhanpur to the shrine.
Out of the five army battalions deployed in Operation Shiva, one battalion (1,000 troops) is in position on the Sonmarg-Baltal route, while another battalion looks after the traditional Pahalgam-Chandanwari route that involves trekking at an altitude of 14,000 feet. The remaining three battalions are positioned along National Highway 44.
Twenty-four-year-old Abu Ismail, who carries a prize of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was accompanied by three others, who opened fire on the bus.
Ismail is suspected of being involved in the killing of a young Sarpanch (village head) in Pampore in April besides being a member of a LeT module which carried out several bank robberies in recent months, a source told DH.
Ismail, who crossed over from Pakistan last year, is suspected to be an associate of Abu Dujana, the LeT commander of Kashmir. Dujana managed to give a slip to the security forces nearly six times in the last couple of years.
The increased involvement of Pakistani militants in the Valley is evident from the fact that there was no let-up in terror activities during Ramzan in June, followed by the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, which is usually avoided by homegrown militants because the livelihood of thousands of Kashmiris depends on the yatra.
“The pattern of militancy is slowly changing in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 2-3 years. Ramzan used to be peaceful and so was the Amarnath yatra. Old ideas are being changed by the radicalised youth,” said an army officer.
Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Tuesday reviewed the security scenario in the state. The Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), R R Bhatnagar, was also present. Within hours of the attack, the home ministry sanctioned deployment of two more battalions of CRPF, which would join 300 companies of the central armed police forces and 5 army battalions in Kashmir to secure the 450-km route from Lakhanpur to the shrine.
Out of the five army battalions deployed in Operation Shiva, one battalion (1,000 troops) is in position on the Sonmarg-Baltal route, while another battalion looks after the traditional Pahalgam-Chandanwari route that involves trekking at an altitude of 14,000 feet. The remaining three battalions are positioned along National Highway 44.
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(Published 11 July 2017, 19:52 IST)
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