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Time of India
03-05-2025
- Time of India
Days before Pahalgam attack, intelligence hinted at terror plans to hit tourist sites in Jammu and Kashmir
NEW DELHI: Days before the Pahalgam massacre, terror chatter picked up from across the border indicated terrorists' plans to hit tourist places in J&K, particularly hotels on outskirts of Srinagar, more specifically areas like Dachigam, etc, senior officials following the investigations told TOI on Saturday. J&K Police sources, however, insisted that while intelligence was available on likely terror plans to target tourists and hotels, it was generic in nature, also naming non-local migrant labourers, Hindu pilgrims and Kashmiri pandits as potential targets and several areas like Kulgam, Pulwama, etc, as "vulnerable spots". There was no mention of Baisaran, which had no history of terror activity or attacks, in these inputs. The intelligence was followed up, with J&K Police brass camping in Srinagar to ensure that security at several prominent tourist places and hotels was tightened. Sources said the two local terrorists - Adil Thoker and Asif Sheikh - in the Pahalgam attack team had blended in with the tourists before herding them into the food stalls area, making it easier for the male victims to be segregated. They added that the entry and exit to Baisaran, which is open round the year barring periods of heavy snowfall and Amarnath Yatra - is ticketed and a fence installed since a tender to manage it for three years was awarded to a Bijbehara businessman last year. The outskirts of Srinagar in the foothills of Zabarwan range were seen as prone to attacks as a group of Pakistani terrorists linked to two attacks in Oct 2024 - at Gagangir, in which six non-local labourers and a doctor were killed, and at Buta Pathri, which left two Army personnel and two Army porters dead - was supposedly active there. Investigations so far suggest that Hashim Musa, the Pakistani assailant in Pahalgam also involved in Gagangir and Buta Pathri attacks, was in Tral along with another Pakistani and two local terrorists, days before they struck in Baisaran. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Co-Founder of Google Brain, Andrew Ng, Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo An officer said agencies have looked into the possibility of terrorists having initially planned to strike during PM Modi's April 19 visit to J&K to flag off a train service between Katra and Srinagar. The motive of the terrorists, backed by Pakistan's ISI, could have been to divert attention from the major rail infrastructure upgrade, a source said adding that when the PM's visit was called due to bad weather, the terrorists, who were possibly hiding in Tral by then, waited until April 22 to execute the attack. A second police officer said the terrorists chose to hit tourists to demolish the 'normalcy' narrative, with the record tourist arrivals in the Valley being cited as a barometer of normalcy. Overground support, another functionary said, was a reality with three of every 10 OGWs being hardcore, ideologically committed cadre. Hitting the other seven, who may be working for some quick money, by having their houses demolished may be counter-productive as they also double up as intelligence assets, it was stressed. The houses of nearly nine OGWs in J&K were demolished in the wake of Pahalgam attack; the Omar Abdullah govt is said to have requested the Centre to exercise caution. Officials on Saturday flagged use and recovery of sophisticated weapons - suspected to be left behind by NATO troops in Afghanistan - in Kashmir.
The Print
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Like Pahalgam suspect Thoker, 40 from J&K visited Pakistan legally & ‘joined terror groups' since 2016
'He travelled to Pakistan via the Attari border and joined the banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is believed to have returned with other terrorists in 2024, after which he had not just been providing logistical support to foreign terrorists who came with him, but leading them,' a source told ThePrint. The same was the case with Adil Thoker, a prime suspect in last week's terror attack in Pahalgam in which 25 tourists and one local was killed. He had travelled to Pakistan on an Indian passport in April 2018 on the pretext of attending an examination, sources said. New Delhi: Among the 300 residents of Jammu & Kashmir who travelled to Pakistan on valid travel documents since 2016, more than 40 ended up joining terror outfits, ThePrint has learnt. They received training in Pakistan and then infiltrated back into India illegally through the Line of Control (LoC), to actively participate in carrying out terror attacks against civilians and security forces in the region, sources in the security establishment said. According to the sources, after 2014, Pakistan-backed agencies evolved their tactics to recruit radicalised Kashmiri youth into terror organisations by asking them to get 'valid travel documents' and travel to Pakistan on the pretext of reasons such as for an exam or business. A second source explained that this strategy helped circumvent the risks and logistical challenges associated with illegal crossings of the LoC and also provided the individuals with the freedom to move around, as they possessed legal documentation permitting their stay in Pakistan. 'Having a valid travel document proved beneficial for these organisations which roped in youngsters from Kashmir. This soon became their modus operandi. These, of course, were people who did not have any past criminal record or were not on the radar of agencies or had valid documents from before,' the source said. According to data available with the security agencies, at least 15 people were killed in different encounters on their return to J&K and more than 10 are confirmed to be 'active terrorists' in the valley. 'While some returned to the valley and are active here, some of them stayed back in Pakistan and joined separatist groups, helping support terrorist activities in J&K by spreading secessionist narratives and fuelling unrest,' the second source said. 'These are the people who know Kashmir well and are now assisting in tapping youngsters for more recruitment.' The source, however, acknowledged that the recruitment of youngsters took a hit in the past year. Explaining the recruitment by Pakistan-based agencies, the source quoted above said local Kashmiris such as Thoker were first identified in J&K, radicalised through online propaganda and put in touch with local networks who further brainwashed them into going for training in Pakistan. 'The individuals who were highly motivated, capable of handling weapons effectively, and resilient were then selected for training in Pakistan. The handlers ensured that only those they deemed the best were recruited. We have observed that these local recruits are as ruthless and hardcore as the Pakistani terrorists who infiltrate to carry out attacks, unlike earlier, when they were often seen as timid,' the source said. Thoker, 33, hails from Bijbehara subdivision of J&K's Anantnag district. He completed BA studies from Government Degree College Anantnag and post-graduation in Urdu from Rehmat E Alam College of Education in Anantnag in 2018. He then worked as a private teacher at MMI School in Shamsipora for two years. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: Pahalgam attacker Thoker was once a teacher, regular at militants' funerals before moving to Pakistan
Scroll.in
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Homes of 10 suspected militants demolished in Jammu and Kashmir after Pahalgam terror attack
The authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have demolished the homes of at least 10 suspected militants in the aftermath of Tuesday's Pahalgam terror attack, reported NDTV citing unidentified officials. In addition, more than 2,000 persons have been detained by the police across the Union Territory, The Indian Express reported. On Thursday, the authorities razed homes belonging to Adil Thoker from Anantnag and Asif Sheikh from Tral, both suspected members of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Other suspected militants whose homes were targeted have been identified as Lashkar-e-Taiba members Zakir Ahmad Ganai, Amir Ahmad Dar, Shahid Ahmad Kuttey and Ahsan ul Haq Amir, Jaish-e-Mohammed's Amir Nazeer Wani, Jameel Ahmad Sher Gojri, and The Resistance Front's Adnan Safi Dar and Farooq Ahmad Tedwa. No statements have been issued either by the Army or the police about the demolitions. However, unidentified police officers told The Hindu that the suspected militants had joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba and another militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. The demolitions began two days after 26 persons were killed and 17 others were injured in the terror attack on April 22. The attack took place in the Baisaran area of Anantnag district. Militants fired at tourists, most of whom were from outside the state. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those who died were Hindu. This was the first major terrorist attack targeting civilians in Kashmir since the Union government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019. Following the attack, security forces have been conducting search operations around Pahalgam and the police intensified their crackdown on suspected militant supporters across the Union Territory, according to The Indian Express. In Srinagar district, police raided the homes of about 63 alleged militant supporters, including a woman, to 'dismantle the terror ecosystem', The Indian Express reported. 'This decisive action of J&K police aims to dismantle the terrorist ecosystem by identifying and taking legal action against individuals engaged in such anti-national and criminal activities,' the newspaper quoted an unidentified police officer as saying. The searches were carried out to seize weapons, documents and electronic devices to collect evidence and gather intelligence gathering to detect and deter any conspiratorial or terrorist activity, the officer added. In Anantnag district, 175 suspected militants and their supporters were detained. 'In the wake of the recent Pahalgam incident and as part of intensified efforts to curb terrorism and its ecosystem, the Anantnag Police, in close collaboration with the Army, CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] and other security forces, have launched extensive search and cordon operations across the district,' The Hindu quoted an unidentified police officer as saying. 'Day and night search operations are underway.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the punishment meted out by India for the attack in Pahalgam will be ' bigger than what the terrorists imagine '. Modi vowed that India would ' identify, trace and punish every terrorist and their backers' involved in the attack and 'pursue them to the ends of the Earth'.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pahalgam Crackdown: Homes of Let Terrorists Linked to Terror Attack Demolished in Tral and Bijbehara
In the aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, including 25 Indian nationals and one from Nepal, Indian authorities have taken decisive action. The residential properties of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, Asif Sheikh and Adil Thoker, were demolished in Tral and Bijbehara, South Kashmir. This move is part of India's broader strategy to dismantle the terror ecosystem and send a strong message against cross-border terrorism. The attack, attributed to the Kashmir Resistance group, has led to heightened tensions and a reevaluation of security measures in the region.#TOIBharat #PahalgamTerrorAttack #LashkareTaiba #LeT #LeTTerrorists #TralBijbehara #KashmirTerrorism #IndiaPakistanTensions #CounterTerrorism #JammuKashmirSecurity #PahalgamAttack #LeTHomesDemolished #KashmirResistance #IndiaRetaliation #SouthKashmirCrackdown #TerrorEcosystem #CrossBorderTerrorism #SecurityMeasures Read More
