Foiling a plan to carry out suicide attacks in J&K ahead of Independence Day, police and army on Tuesday killed three militants of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad.
JAMMU: Foiling a plan to carry out suicide attacks in J&K ahead of Independence Day, police and army on Tuesday killed three militants of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, including right-hand man of Masood Azhar, freed by India during the Kandahar hijack of 1999.
Acting on the specific intelligence input, a police team raided the house of one Mujaffar Hussain in Kishtwar in Doda and arrested Hassan Bhai of Shiekhpora (Lahore) of Pakistan along with arms and ammunition, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Doda, Manohar Singh said.
During the interrogation, Hassan said that he was the top commander and chief of operation of JeM in Jammu and Kashmir and 2nd in command of Masood, freed from Kotbalwal jail in Jammu in lieu of the release of passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines plane to Khandhar on December 31, 1999.
He also said that he was active in the state for past eight years.
It was on his disclosure that police team along with him went to Keshwan forest belt to nab other JeM militant early Tuesday where militants fired on the cordon party in which Hassan was injured, the SSP said. Hassan was then taken to the hospital but he died enroute.
In another operation, police launched a cordon and search operation in Jakti-Nagrota in the outskirts of the city in the wee hours in which two top JeM militants, who had come to city to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations, were killed, Jammu district police Chief Mukesh Singh said.
One of the killed militants has been identified as Mohmmad Bashir, Deputy Commander of JeM code Abu Khalid of Menshera, Pakistan, Singh said.
Another militant, a body guard of Pakistani militant, who is also a Pakistani codenamed Abu Hussain, was also killed.
Khalid was carrying a fake identity card issued in the name of Ram Paul Sharma working as welder in Dulhusti Project, SSP said.
"Two militants had surveyed Jammu city for finding a launching pad to carry out a suicide attack in the city on or before 15 August, he said adding that both of them were suspected fidayeens.
Two AK rifles, four magazines, four grenades, 89 rounds, one Jammu and Kashmir police ribbon and sketches of Jammu city were found from the slain militants, he said.
Based on Hassan's interrogation, police have also identified half a dozen over ground workers of JeM in Doda district and all of them would be arrested soon.
"This is major success of police in the state. Bhai wan most wanted terrorist," the SSP said.
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