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Preliminary probes suggest that at least four terrorists carried out the Pahalgam attack. Three of them could be foreign terrorists
TRF, an offshoot of the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba, is believed to be responsible for the attack. (Representational image)
On March 10, union home secretary Govind Mohan chaired a high-level security review meeting in Jammu. Less than a month later, on April 6, union home minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the unified command in Srinagar. The back-to-back meetings in two regions of J&K came amidst a warning from intelligence agencies that Pakistan was preparing for a “hot summer in Jammu and Kashmir”.
On Tuesday, as cries of tourists in Pahalgam rang in the air, the worst fears of agencies came true.
70 foreign terrorists active in Jammu and Kashmir
Preliminary probes suggest that at least four terrorists carried out the Pahalgam attack. Three of them could be foreign terrorists. Intelligence agency officials said the local terrorist could have acted as a guide.
As per data maintained by the central forces, 70 foreign terrorists are active in Jammu and Kashmir. Recent infiltration attempts along the international border were thwarted after DGP Nalin Prabhat led an operation in Hiranagar in March.
But agencies suspect that many foreign terrorists could have been lying low after infiltration for the right command from their handlers.
“With the snow melting, hill routes have opened up. It appears that the terrorists in Pahalgam climbed down the hills to reach the meadows of Baisaran to attack unsuspecting tourists. A cordon and search operation has been launched to prevent the terrorists from escaping. The NIA team is on standby to visit the spot. NIA could begin its crackdown against overground workers who possibly aided the foreign terrorists,” said a source.
TRF claims responsibility
The Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack that killed 28 people, with many others injured. Agencies believe that TRF is a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
M4 bullets have been found at the crime scene. Witness accounts suggest that AK-47s and other military-grade automatic weapons were used.
Many survivors said their loved ones were shot from a distance. Agencies are probing whether sniper-like training was given to the terrorists.
Motive
The Pahalgam attack has taken locals back to the year 2000, when Chatisingpora in Anantnag of South Kashmir saw 34 Sikhs getting identified and killed during Bill Clinton’s visit. The Pahalgam attack comes as JD Vance, US Vice President, is visiting India.
Intelligence agencies, however, are not ruling out the Pahalgam attack as a measure to derail the Amarnath Yatra. The yatra from the Chandanwadi route goes via Pahalgam. Earlier, terrorists had targeted the Sonmarg tunnel, which falls on the Baltal route.