Fayaz Ahmad Ishwar alias Setha of Lashkar-e-Toiba was one of the main conspirators of the August 5, 2015 terror attack
The terrorist killed in a chance encounter in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday night was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his key role in the 2015 Udhampur terror attack that left two Border Security Force men dead and 13 others injured.
Fayaz Ahmad Ishwar alias Setha of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was one of the main conspirators of the August 5, 2015 terror attack. Setha was the man who ferried two fidayeens Usman and Momin in his truck from South Kashmir and dropped them at Narsoo Nallah minutes before they attacked the BSF convoy in Udhampur.
Momin was later gunned down in retaliatory fire while Mohammad Naveed alias Usman of Faisalabad Pakistan took five civilians hostage in a bid to flee from the spot. However, he was overpowered by two of the hostages and handed over to the security forces.
Setha was part of three-member team of terrorists which attacked the police party near Mir Bazar Kulgam when they were inspecting the accident spot and clearing the traffic jam on the road on Saturday night. Three civilians and a cop were killed in the terror attack.
However, police displayed exemplary bravery and retaliated which resulted in the death of Setha. Two other terrorists, however, managed to escape from the spot. Police said one of the terrorists might have received injuries in the counter offensive.
"It is a big success for us since Setha was wanted terrorist by NIA. Setha was part of the conspiracy and he had arranged logistics and was on the spot (of Udhampur terror attack). It was after Udhampur incident that he became active with LeT," Shridhar Patil, superintendent of police, Kulgam, told DNA.
Security forces have launched a massive hunt for two other terrorists who were part of the attack at Kulgam on Saturday night. "We suspect both of them must have been injured. Hunt has been launched to nab the duo", said Patil.
What created a tricky situation was when militants surfaced during the funeral and offered gun salute to the slain Setha at his ancestral village on Sunday. Massive pro freedom slogans rent the air at the funeral procession of the slain ultra.
Setha has been absconding since the Udhampur terror attack though he was charge-sheeted by the NIA last year. NIA had put Rs two lakh bounty on Setha who had become an active militant of Lashkar-e-Tioba in south Kashmir.
According to NIA Setha dropped two fidayeens at the spot before they proceeded towards Jammu on August 5 2016. Setha along with his assistant Sabzar had left Khudwani in Kulgam along with two Pakistani fidayeens on August 4, 2016 and spent the night at Tamtar Morh on Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
Sabzar has been arrested since then but Setha was still on the loose. "The first charge sheet has been filed against eight accused persons on January 28 2016. Further investigation in the case is continuing", said NIA.
Mastermind of the Udhampur terror attack and the then chief operational commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Abu Qasim alias Abdul Rehman of Pakistan was also killed in an encounter at Khandaypora village of south Kashmir's Kulgam district on October 29 2015.
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