Pahalgam Terrorists Who Shot Dead Tourists Identified, Sources Say Sketches Match Group Active In Area
Twenty-six tourists were shot dead in Baisaran Valley as terrorists separated male members from their families, ascertained their religious identity, and killed them in cold blood
Three terrorists who carried out a barbaric attack in J&K’s Pahalgam on Tuesday have been identified, with agencies saying the group had been active in the area for the last one month.
Intel sources have shared photographs of the group of terrorists while noting that one of them— Kulgam’s Junaid—was killed in an encounter earlier, CNN-News18 has learnt. The sources added that the men in the photo match the sketches released of the Pahalgam attackers.
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Twenty-six tourists from across the country were shot dead in Baisaran Valley as terrorists separated the male members from their families, asked them to recite the Kalma or reveal their names to ascertain their religious identity, and killed them in cold blood as women and children watched in horror.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the terrorists entered the Kashmir tourist site in a group around 2.20pm and later split into pairs, covering the 400-m space. The terrorists systematically approached each group, inquiring about their religion and place of origin. Subsequently, they forcibly separated the men. After confirming the identities of their targets, they shot them with their AK-47 rifles at point-blank range. Those who attempted to deceive the terrorists regarding their identities were subjected to verification before being killed.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday laid wreaths on the bodies of 26 deceased and assured the survivors that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to justice, officials said. The Home Minister also chaired a security review meeting, which was also attended by the Lieutenant Governor.
The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founded by Hafiz Saeed, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The TRF came into existence in 2019 as a proxy outfit of LeT in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 and revocation of special status to J&K in August that year.
The signs of TRF as a militant group became visible when the J&K police busted a module of over the ground workers (OGWs) in Sopore and Kupwara. The arrested OGWs revealed they were “recruiting youth for the new outfit".
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