नवीनतम
3 Pak nationals, 2 Kashmiris among 5 terrorists identified
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Authorities have identified five terrorists — including three Pakistani nationals — behind Tuesday’s massacre of 26 tourists in Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the worst terror attacks in the region in nearly 20 years.
According to sources cited by IANS, the Pakistani terrorists have been identified as Asif Fauji (code-named Moosa), Suleman Shah (Yunus), and Abu Talha (Asif). The other two attackers are believed to be local militants: Adil Guri from Bijbehara in Anantnag and Ahsan from Pulwama.
Both Guri and Ahsan reportedly underwent training in Pakistan in 2018 and had returned to the Kashmir Valley recently.
Fauji and Shah, meanwhile, have been active in Jammu and Kashmir for some time and are suspected of involvement in earlier attacks, including in the Poonch region.
A preliminary investigation led by central agencies — based on survivor testimonies — revealed that the terrorists forced victims to prove their religion by reciting Islamic prayers or displaying physical markers like circumcision.
Authorities have released sketches of three suspects and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information leading to their capture.
With no CCTV cameras installed near the attack site in Baisaran meadow, investigators are heavily dependent on eyewitness accounts. It is believed the assailants fled toward the higher reaches of the Pir Panjal range after the attack.
A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), headed by Inspector General Vijay Sakhare, is stationed in Srinagar and has taken over the probe, with support from Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Officials also confirmed that the role of Saifullah Kasuri — a deputy to Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed — is under scrutiny.
In a video shared on social media in February, Kasuri had proclaimed, “Kashmir will become the ‘land of the pure’ by February 2, 2026,” and warned of escalating militant activity in the region.
