What captured LeT terrorist Bahadur Ali's confession reveals about Pakistani terror groups

Video showing alleged atrocities committed against Muslims in India is fast becoming cannon fodder for Pakistan-based jihadists. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the case of Bahadur Ali, a captured Pakistani militant belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), on Wednesday detailed how youth in Pakistan are being inducted to jihadist groups. The case of Bahadur Ali, son of a police constable, is quite similar to the many other Pakistani militants that have been captured by Indian security forces in the last few years. This includes the case of Mohammad Naveed who was involved in the 2015 attack on BSF personnel in Udhampur and was subsequently captured. According to the agency, a majority of the narrative on how youths in Pakistan are inducted in LeT or other banned outfits continues to be the same. However, a new pattern seems to have emerged in the last few years wherein these youth are regularly shown videos of alleged atrocities committed against Muslims.

Who is Bahadur Ali?

According to NIA, Bahadur Ali was recruited into Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD) by close aides of Hafiz Sayeed in the year 2008-2009 when he was 13-14 years old. In a video of Ali's confession released to the media on Wednesday, the 21-year-old is heard saying that he was given the task of collecting 'Jihad fund' in his village which lies in Lahore district's Raiwand tehsil. After dropping out of the eighth grade in school, Ali went on to serve in the office of the front end NGO of LeT by the name of Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) which is located in Lahore. It was somewhere after this that Ali was chosen to fill up Lashkar's militant ranks.

"Moulana Abdur Rahim, who belonged to LeT radicalised Ali and made him join the terror outfit. One of the patterns that has recently emerged is screenings of films showing alleged atrocities committed against Muslims. Similarly, in Bahadur Ali's case, videos of alleged atrocities on Muslims in different parts of the world including India were shown to him and many other youths. These videos exhort youth to undertake jihad against India and to establish Islamic rule," said NIA spokesperson Sanjeev Singh.

Training

Like other Laskhar men, Ali also underwent a rigorous training, allegedly monitored by officials of the Pakistan Army whom the youth refer to as 'Major Sahab' and 'Captain Sahab'. According to Ali, 30-50 youth are trained at a time in these camps that are spread across Pakistan. Similar to others, Ali underwent three training courses— a basic 15-day session named  Daura-e-Tulba at Manshera in the year 2013, a 21-day Daura-e-Am training course at Aksa camp near Muzaffarabad in September 2014 , which was the first stage of arms training, and a third stage named Daura-e-Khas which was a 30-day session held at Tabook camp near Muzaffarabad in the summer of 2016. The last session was intended to train the men in sophisticated arms training. 

The men are then divided into Punjabi, Urdu and Pashto speaking. The Pashto-speaking men are dispatched to Afghanistan to fight the allied forces of NATO and the Urdu, Punjabi-speaking men are mostly sent to Kashmir, said NIA.

"Ali said that his group of terrorists was launched after being staged forward at their Dett (detachment) near the line of control between India and Pakistan. This Dett is headed by a senior member of LeT who provides arms and ammunition as well as other accessories like GPS, night vision devices, compass, grenades, grenade launchers, maps, matrix sheets, food packets, dry ration, medicines etc," said NIA officials who showed the weaponry, Pakistani food items and gadgets confiscated from the militants including Ali during a press conference. "Bahadur Ali was launched from Mandakuli Dett. Abu Haider was the Commander at the Dett. They were repeatedly shown the infiltration route on the Google Maps on a LCD TV," said NIA spokesperson. 

Connection to Burhan Wani and Kashmir Protests

While the agency believes that LeT had directed Bahadur Ali to fuel the agitation that Kashmir is witnessing following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, officials are yet to establish if the trend of using protests as cover to attack forces will be followed. In the past, Kashmiri locals have come out onto the streets during encounters between security forces and militants and often indulged in violent confrontations with the army in order to give militants a chance to escape.

In the video, which is 12 minutes long, Ali is heard saying, "One day we reached near border area to get some food and firing took place nearby. I ran towards the jungle and I contacted  Alpha-3 which is Lashkar-e-Taiba's operation room in Pakistan. I told them that two of my brothers have been separated from me and they told me not to worry and the two have been sent somewhere else. I was told the two have been given some other job and I should wait for few days after which I will be given a job as well. I asked them what will I do if I am in need of food and they (operation room) managed food for me". The next conversation between the control room and Ali was about the unrest.

"When I contacted them again they told me that one of our brothers, a mujahid, has been killed in Srinagar. His name is Burhan Wani and the situation in Kashmir has deteriorated because of his killing and people are throwing stones at the Indian army and police. I was told that two of my partners have fueled the protests and that I have to do the same. I was told to participate in protests and take grenades with me. I asked them what will I do with the grenades and I was told that 'throw them at the Indian Army so situation in Kashmir will deteriorate,'" Ali is heard saying in the video. 

What lies in the future?

Even though according to the NIA, Ali's 'confession' puts light on LeT's role in the current crisis in Kashmir, agency officials also revealed details about how Ali's travels within the valley were made possible by local support. The protests itself that erupted after the killing of the militant commander have put security agencies like the NIA on edge. Adding to this, recently in Kulgam, a massive rally was addressed by suspected LeT militants. However, the makings of the unrest that erupted in Kashmir were in fact seen last year in October when a massive turnout was witnessed at LeT militant commander Abu Qasim's funeral.

The NIA spokesperson told dna that Ali's arrest has shed light on the revival of a network of overground works, also known as OGWs, specifically in North Kashmir. This was after the network was disrupted by 2015. While support for militant groups in South Kashmir has been making news, a strong network of OGWs north of the valley is also a concern for the agencies. "We are hoping to make more breakthroughs in the future," said an NIA official optimistically . However, recently a senior security official based in Kashmir told dna that the situation in the valley had compelled the security forces to focus only on the 'law and order situation' there. The rest, according to the official, has taken a backseat.