Terrorists Involved In Pahalgam Attack Had Military Training In Pakistan: Sources

NDTV

05-05-2025

Quick Take
Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.
The Pahalgam attack on April 22 involved terrorists trained by Pakistan's Special Service Group. One key figure, Hashim Musa, a Lashkar-e-Taiba member, has engaged in multiple attacks. A manhunt is underway, with a bounty offered for his capture.
New Delhi:
The terrorists responsible for the deadly attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley on April 22 had received elite military training in Pakistan, sources said. This training from the Pakistani Special Service Group led them to aid their terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir effectively.
Officials uncovered the information during the interrogation of some terrorists who are already in jail.
Hashim Musa, one of the three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, has previously served as a para-commando in Pakistan's Special Service Group. He later joined Lashkar-e-Taiba and has been part of multiple terror attacks since.
According to sources, Musa is learnt to have entered India in 2023. Since then, he has been a part of at least six terror attacks across Jammu and Kashmir, including the October 2024 attack in Ganderbal district that left seven people dead, and the attack in Baramullah that left four security personnel dead.
Security agencies believe Musa is hiding somewhere in the forests of south Kashmir, and an all-out operation has been launched to track him down. Jammu and Kashmir police have announced a bounty of Rs 20 lakh for any information about the terrorist and assured that the informer's identity will be kept secret.
All the terrorists, including Musa, who have received special training in Pakistan, are a part of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, or Hizbul Mujahideen.
Pahalgam terror attack
Twenty-six people, including one Nepali national, were killed and many others were injured as multiple terrorists descended on Baisaran Valley, known as "Mini Switzerland" - a tourist hotspot with rolling hills and verdant orchards - and opened fire. According to eyewitnesses, as the gunshots rang out, there was panic among the tourists who ran for cover. However, there was no place for them to hide in the wide, open space.
Security forces have launched search operations to track down the terrorists involved in the attack. While India has taken strict action against Pakistan by suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty indefinitely and sending all Pakistani nationals back.
According to intelligence security agency sources, the motive behind the attack was to cause maximum destruction in Kashmir.
The attack has been one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.