The National Investigation agency (NIA), which is investigating Bahadur Ali, a suspected LeT militant of Pakistani origin, has now stated how security forces were engaged in a lethal skirmish in Northern Kashmir right after the arrest of Ali.
When four suspected Pakistani nationals, believed to be a part of a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) group, were gunned down by Indian Army during an infiltration attempt on July 26 this year, little was known about what went into the operation and what happened afterwards.
The National Investigation agency (NIA), which is investigating Bahadur Ali, a suspected LeT militant of Pakistani origin, has now stated how security forces were engaged in a lethal skirmish in Northern Kashmir right after the arrest of Ali.
The arrest of Ali on July 25, was followed by a number of violent stand-offs,that started on July 26, passed through the period of unrest that followed the killing of Burhan Wani and left their marks on 2017.
According to the NIA chargesheet, Bahadur Ali, after receiving a three-phased, 64 day long training at militant camps based Pakistan and PoK, started his journey to infiltrate into Kashmir through Mandakuli launching pad. On June 10, almost a month before the killing of Burhan Wani, Ali started to walk towards the Line of Control (LoC), led by his handler Abu Haider and a guide named Marshad. Ali was part of a group three Lashkar militants who had to be infiltrated into Kashmir, the other two being Abu Darda and Abu Saad.
On June 12 Haider and Marshad left the three at "Jungle post" near the LOC following which the Darda, Saad and Ali started their eight day long arduous walk which was aided by grid references and GPS devices. After reaching a hilltop in Wadar village in North Kashmir's Handwara, the three contacted their handlers in LoC by pairing their mobile phone with a wireless set, a method called wi-sms. The three were supposed to reach their final destination (Mukam, Yahama) using the grid references but the plans suddenly hit a roadblock on June 22.
The NIA maintains that Darda and Saad descended from the hill top to look for food after which some fire was exchanged. Ali, who was in the hills, panicked and even went further up so that he could contact his bases across LoC, also called Alpha-3. He was directed first to wait for Darda and Saad, and when they did not return, Ali was asked to move towards Yahama. It was here he met three individuals near a government school and provided food and it is likely investigative agencies in the valley got a wind of Ali's presence near the school.
As NIA documents state that after the disappearance of Darda and Saad, Ali on July 24 was asked to receive a group "freshly infiltrated terrorists of the LeT", even as the valley erupted in protests against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani. Ali was arrested the next day and on July 26, the Jammu and Kashmir police and Indian army killed four Pakistani militants in Kashmir's Naugam sector near the LoC in Kupwara district.
The NIA chargesheet states that it was at Ali's instance that the operation was undertaken. However what followed next in North Kashmir, and particularly in Handwara were a series of militant attacks, which according to a senior security official, might have been a coordinated retaliatory effort launched by LeT.
In September, a police post was attacked in Handwara and days later, in first week of October a group of militants attacked the Army camp of 30 Rashtriya Rifles in Langate, yet another case being investigated by NIA. In November another police post was attacked even as army foiled multiple infiltration attempts into the north of Kashmir. Last week another policeman was killed in a attack at Chowgal area of Handwara. The spike in violence, according to a senior J&K police official, was "noticeable", after the killing of four Pakistani nationals and foiling of other infiltration bids.
"Handwara cases probed by NIA do have connections owing to the fact that the same terror outfit might be behind them. The GPS sets recovered from Ali suggest the same but we will be able to conclude once the investigation is over,"said a NIA official.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Bahadur Ali")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}