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Incidents and Statements involving Lashkar-e-Taiba:
2010
2010
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December 31: The Security Forces
foiled another attempt made by a group of five to six militants
to infiltrate into Indian Territory under the cover of Pakistan
Army firing and darkness at the Line of Control (LoC) in forward
area of Kanga in Balakote sub sector of Mendhar tehsil (revenue
unit) in Poonch District . It couldn’t be ascertained immediately
as to whether the militants had retrieved to Pakistan occupied Kashmir
(PoK) from where they were launched by Pakistan Army and Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) ‘commanders’ or were still holed-up in the area. No casualties
or damage was reported on this side during the firing, they added.
Meanwhile, a top militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM), identified as Khurshid Ahmed alias Vakas, surrendered before
Police in Doda District. At the time of surrender, he handed over
one AK rifle, one magazine and 30 rounds. Police said Khurshid Ahmed
was active in militancy since April 2000 and had been rated in ‘A’
category. The militant surrendered following pressure after the
recent arrest of two HM ’divisional commanders’ Ghulam Nabi Sheikh
alias Javaid Qureshi and Jameel Qureshi by the Police in Dehradun
(Uttaranchal) and Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) respectively.
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December 30: A Rajouri based Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) ‘commander’ has turned out to be a mastermind of engineering
stone pelting in Kashmir in 2010 summer and was reportedly preparing
another brigade of youth in different parts of the Valley to create
trouble in June 2011. Sajjad Ahmed Khan alias Shamas, a resident
of Firdousabad in the Batmaloo area of Srinagar District, operating
in Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri District, engineered stone pelting
in several parts of Srinagar especially Batmaloo by mobilizing youth
to join the brigade of stone pelters after making them handsome
payments through hawala (illegal money transfer) operators of Rajouri
District.
Interception of the mobile telephone
number of Shamas—8803638050—exposed his activities and links with
the militants in the Valley, leading to formidable evidence with
Police about the connivance of militant-stone pelters. The interception
of mobile telephone number of Shamas led to arrest of a number of
militants and stone pelters, with whom he spoke on their mobile
numbers issuing them directions for subjecting paramilitary and
Police personnel to stone pelting. Sources said several other militants
and stone pelters were also identified and some of them arrested
after being called by Shamas from his Thanna Mandi hideout. Shamas
was reported to have sent a series of consignments of hawala money
for the militants and stone pelters from Rajouri through Over Ground
Workers of the LeT outfit.
A serious attempt is being made
to forge a nexus between Kashmiri militants and Naxalites [Left
Wing Extremists] with a so-called "noted human rights activist’’
of the country playing a notorious role to bring the both groups
closer reportedly "at the behest of Pakistan’’. ”The ‘human
rights [HR] activist’ and some militant ‘commanders’ in Kashmir
were under strict surveillance. The HR activist has come under the
radar of Intelligence agencies and some of his calls to the separatists
have been intercepted’’, official sources confirmed. The henchmen
of the HR activist have also established a direct contact with Pakistan
backed militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) in the Kashmir valley.
Meanwhile, the State Government
has decided that spouses and children of all militants from Jammu
and Kashmir, who decide to return to the State adopting recently
announced ‘Rehabilitation Policy’, will be treated as ‘foreign nationals’
unless they are granted citizenship rights by the Union Government,
reported Daily Excelsior on December 27. "Normal visa rules
will apply to the spouses and children of the militants, who return
from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) or Pakistan after giving up
the gun culture, to lead a normal life back home under the guidelines
prepared by the State and approved by the Union Home Ministry in
the just framed Rehabilitation Policy’’, official sources said.
Data prepared by the State Government with the help of Intelligence
agencies and Police Department revealed that there could be at least
3000 militants and youth from Jammu and Kashmir, mostly from the
Valley, who were held up in Pakistan and PoK after their arms training
and other activities across the border.
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December 28: Ahead of the New Year,
the Home Ministry sounded a country-wide terror alert, especially
for Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Goa and Bangalore, after getting intelligence
inputs that the Pakistan-based outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was
planning to strike these Cities. The Centre asked all the States
to tighten security by deploying additional forces in all sensitive
locations to prevent any terror attack.
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December 21: The Jama'at-ud-Da'wah
(JuD) ‘chief’ and November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz
Saeed made his first public appearance since his release in 2009,
on December 16 in the national capital, Islamabad, in the company
of leading Pakistani politicians, and stoutly opposed Pakistani
Government's move to repeal the country's controversial blasphemy
law, reports Times of India. Several hardliners were present on
the stage along with the JuD chief, while politicians like former
caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Shujaat Hussain and Federal Minister
Ijaz-ul-Haq, too, showed up. Hafiz Saeed called for a ''well-organized
media campaign'' in favour of the law. Saeed, who earlier addressed
rallies across Punjab province, was put under house arrest in December
2008 after the UN banned JuD following the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.
Islamabad also acknowledged that part of the conspiracy was hatched
in Pakistan and blamed the JuD, a front of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),
for the attacks on Mumbai that left 166 persons dead.
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December 24: A manhunt was under
way in Mumbai for four alleged cadres of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
outfit that attacked the city in 2008 (November 26), amid warnings
of a strike on foreign targets over Christmas and New Year. Roads
were closed in and around the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the focus
of the militant siege two years ago that killed 166 people, while
armed Police were out in force at high-profile sites, including
overseas consulates. Mumbai Police warned that four operatives of
the LeT were preparing a “violent attack” during the festive season
and called for residents to be vigilant. “The four recently sneaked
into the city to carry out extremely dangerous activity,” joint
Police commissioner Himanshu Roy said, adding, “It is going to be
a violent attack.” Roy had no information about the nationalities
of the four men but they were identified as Abdul Karim Musa, Noor
Abdul Elahi, Walid Jinnah and Mehfooz Alam. “If they have issued
an alert of this level it will be credible,” homeland security specialist
Ajai Sahni, the utive director of the Institute of Conflict Management
in New Delhi, said, adding, “Alerts are issued fairly frequently.
They might not have names attached to them as clearly. There seems
to be more specific information than there usually is.”
In a fresh proposal, India conveyed
to Pakistan that it wants to send a Commission to Islamabad to question
seven Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including Zaki-ur-Rehman
Lakhvi, Zarrar Shah and Abu Al Qama, in connection with the November
26, 2008 Mumbai attacks (also known as 26/11). In a communication,
New Delhi told Islamabad that it wanted to send a Commission to
get voice samples of the masterminds who were present in the control
room directing the 26/11 attackers. New Delhi's move is being seen
as a response to Islambad's insistence on sending a Pakistani commission
to interview chief metropolitan magistrate R V Sawant Waghule, who
recorded Ajmal Kasab's (lone surviving Pakistani LeT terrorist involved
in the 26/11 attacks) statement, and Mumbai Police inspector Ramesh
Mahale, who is the investigating officer in the case.
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December 23: The Mumbai Police issued
an advisory stating that four Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants had
entered Mumbai with the intention of causing an “extremely dangerous
and violent attack” on the city in view of the coming festivals
and New Year celebrations. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime)
Himanshu Roy, at a press conference in Mumbai identified the militants
as Abdul Karim Musa, Noor Abu Ilahi, Walid Jinnah and Mehfuz Alam.
Of these the photograph of Walid Jinnah has been published for wide
circulation among the public. Roy, however, declined to reveal the
nationalities or other details of the intruders.
A Pakistani militant, identified
as Ubaidullah, believed to be affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),
was killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in Baramulla
District. Acting on a tip off, the SFs launched a search operation
at Zaloora forest on Sopore-Handwara road in Baramulla in the morning
to flush out hiding militants, official sources said. On seeing
the approaching search parties, the hiding militants opened fire
on them around noon triggering a gun battle which ended with the
killing of a militant. An AK rifle and some ammunition and grenades
were recovered from his possession. The search operation in the
area was still continuing as SFs had information about presence
of one more militant in the forest area.
Separately, four LeT militants,
including a top ‘commander’, were arrested by the SFs in Pulwama
District, a Defence Ministry spokesman said. He said a joint operation
was launched by Army and State Police at Awantipora following a
tip-off about the presence of militants. During the operation a
top ‘commander’ of LeT, identified as Muzaffer Ahmad Wani alias
Bulbul was arrested on December 22. On his disclosure three more
militants were arrested along with arms and ammunition, included
pistol, ammunition, grenades, explosive and detonators. The investigation
also revealed involvement of these LeT militants in the recent incidents
of agitation, instigating protests and burning of Government property,
the spokesman said.
Further, some Pakistani militants
have been segregated in high security Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu
after they assaulted a Policeman in the jail.
Meanwhile, rail service in the Kashmir
Valley was restored on December 23 after having remained suspended
for nearly five months following attacks on railway property during
the summer unrest, official sources said. The first train carrying
a handful of passengers started in the morning from Budgam District
in Central Kashmir and passed through Srinagar and Pulwama Districts
on its way to Qazigund in Anantnag District of South Kashmir, a
senior Railways official said. The rail service connecting North
and South Kashmir was suspended on July 31 after tracks were damaged
in the summer protests and several railway stations were ransacked,
forcing non-Kashmiri railway staff to flee.
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December 21: Pakistani-American
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley, accused
of plotting the Mumbai terror attacks (November 26, 2008 also known
as 26/11) had hatred towards India and warned that he would stop
helping the probe if his admission of guilt was linked to cooperation
with New Delhi. The information was conveyed by Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller during his meeting with
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in February 2009, according to
a secret U.S. embassy cable made public by the whistle-blower website
WikiLeaks.
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December 20: Jammu and Kashmir Police
said they had neutralized two militant modules which were instigating,
motivating and funding youths to resort to stone-pelting in the
Valley by arresting nine militants in Anantnag and Pulwama Districts.
Nine grenades, 35 kilograms of explosives, a pistol with a magazine
and 11 rounds, four combat uniforms and two improvised explosive
devices ( IEDs) fitted in a pressure cooker were recovered from
them, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG, South Kashmir)
Shafqat A. Watali said. "These (modules) were instigating,
motivating and funding youths to indulge in stone-pelting. There
is a clear link between militant groups and the recent law and order
situation in the Valley," Watali said. The modules were also
involved in a string of grenade attacks in South Kashmir, he added,
saying, "Most of the militants are associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba
[LeT] but also have links with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
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December 18: During a meeting between
Richard Boucher, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central
Asia, and then Union foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon, on January
8, 2009, the latter alleged that the Pakistani Army was hand-in-glove
with the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). This fact came to
light from a secret cable sent by US ambassador in Delhi Timothy
Roemer to Washington which was leaked by the whistle-blower website
WikiLeaks. Menon highlighted that the Pakistan Army paid wages to
LeT and sustained the organization, and until these ties were severed,
India would continue to regard the Pakistani security services as
complicit in the Mumbai terrorist attacks ( November 26, 2008, also
known as 26/11).
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December 17: The Jama'at-ud-Da'wah
(JuD) ‘chief’ and November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz
Saeed made his first public appearance since his release in 2009,
on December 16 in the national capital, Islamabad, in the company
of leading Pakistani politicians, and stoutly opposed Pakistani
Government's move to repeal the country's controversial blasphemy
law, reports Times of India. Several hardliners were present on
the stage along with the JuD chief, while politicians like former
caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Shujaat Hussain and Federal Minister
Ijaz-ul-Haq, too, showed up. Hafiz Saeed called for a ''well-organized
media campaign'' in favour of the law. Saeed, who earlier addressed
rallies across Punjab province, was put under house arrest in December
2008 after the UN banned JuD following the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.
Islamabad also acknowledged that part of the conspiracy was hatched
in Pakistan and blamed the JuD, a front of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),
for the attacks on Mumbai that left 166 persons dead.
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December 16: The Jama'at-ud-Da'wah
(JuD) ‘chief’ and November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz
Saeed made his first public appearance since his release in 2009,
in the national capital, Islamabad, in the company of leading Pakistani
politicians, and stoutly opposed Pakistani Government's move to
repeal the country's controversial blasphemy law. Several hardliners
were present on the stage along with the JuD chief, while politicians
like former caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Shujaat Hussain and Federal
Minister Ijaz-ul-Haq, too, showed up. Hafiz Saeed called for a ''well-organized
media campaign'' in favour of the law. Saeed, who earlier addressed
rallies across Punjab province, was put under house arrest in December
2008 after the UN banned JuD following the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.
Islamabad also acknowledged that part of the conspiracy was hatched
in Pakistan and blamed the JuD, a front of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),
for the attacks on Mumbai that left 166 persons dead.
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December 15: The Centre has prepared
a list of 31 absconding terror suspects, including 19 from the Indian
Mujahideen (IM), and asked all the States and Union Territories
to locate and arrest them. Official sources said the Centre, in
coordination with the States, was forming special teams to hunt
them down. The suspects at large also include 12 members of an outfit
called Jam-I-yyathul Ansarul Muslimeen (JIAM), which is suspected
to be a joint front of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Students Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI). The Centre also plans to coordinate the
search with foreign countries. Detailed dossiers about the IM and
JIAM militants have been shared with a few Gulf countries like the
UAE and Qatar, as intelligence inputs suggest that some of them
holding Pakistani passports were currently based there. The sources
said some of the countries had already begun surveillance on some
suspects.
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December 13: Slain Mumbai Anti Terrorism
Squad (ATS) Chief Hemant Karkare was on the hit list of the Islamist
militant outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM). Three months before Karkare
was shot dead by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants during the terrorist
attacks in Mumbai (November 26, 2008, 26/11), their Indian comrades
belonging to IM had directly threatened for what his team was doing
to neutralise the terror threat. In a clear warning to Karkare,
the IM in its email on August 23, 2008, had said: "Let us notify
you, especially the top officials of ATS like Hemant Karkare and
allies that our line of attack has already been masterminded for
you". Besides Karkare, the IM had also mentioned about the
then Gujarat Police Chief P C Pande and joint commissioner of police
(crime) Ashish Bhatia as the trio had launched a major crackdown
against its cadre in various joint operations after the July 26,
2008, serial blasts in Ahmadabad.
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December 12: Police arrested maternal
uncle of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘divisional commander’ Habib Gujjar
alias Salman in the Keshwan area of Kishtwar District for providing
support to militants especially Salman in carrying out activities
in the upper reaches. The arrestee, identified as Jalal-ud-Din Gujjar,
was third relative of Salman arrested by Police in less than a month.
Reports said Jalal-ud-Din was helping Salman in carrying out his
activities in Saranwan and Keshwan areas.
Meanwhile, Police said that Farooq
Ahmed Akhoon, a resident of Lidri in the Dachan area of the District
was not arrested for his links with the militants. He had only been
called as a witness in a case to record his statement, they added.
It was reported earlier that the Security Forces have arrested an
Over Ground Worker (OGW) of militants, Farooq Ahmed Akhune (38),
from Kishtwar District on December 11.
An Army Captain and a Pakistani
militant affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed in a
20-hour-long gun battle in Sopore town of Baramulla District, reported
Daily Excelsior. The gunfight erupted in the town on Srinagar-Kupwara
highway in the evening of December 7 when a joint search party of
Police and Rashtriya Rifles (21st Battalion) laid a siege around
a house following specific information about presence of two suspected
LeT militants. An Army Captain was injured in the initial encounter.
The Captain succumbed to injuries in the morning of December 8.
The Captain was identified as Upmanyu Singh, according to Times
of India.
"The operation was halted for
the night to avoid collateral damages and resumed this morning,"
a Police spokesman said on December 8, adds Daily Excelsior. Official
sources said the operation ended at around 3pm after the house,
where the militants were believed hiding, caught fire during the
exchange of fire and was gutted. Dead body of a militant, later
identified as Abdullah Ubaid, a Pakistani national owing allegiance
with LeT, was recovered from the debris of the house. Some arms
and ammunition were also recovered from his possession. However,
the other militant, identified as Abeedullah, also a suspected Pakistani,
had reportedly managed his escape, apparently last night under the
cover of darkness.
Earlier in the day, when the Security
Forces resumed the operation to flush out the militants, groups
of protester took to streets and indulged in stone-pelting on Police
and Paramilitary Forces at several places to divert their attention.
"Miscreants early morning surfaced in Chan Khan, main town
and Bus Stand areas of Sopore, and resorted to stone pelting on
Police and security forces deployments," the spokesman said.
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December 8: Union Government on
December 8 said that militant groups, especially those based abroad,
were trying to revive militancy in Punjab. “Available reports suggest
that militant groups, especially those based abroad, continue to
persist with their efforts to revive militancy in Punjab,"
Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken said in a written reply.
The Minister, however, added that there were no specific inputs
indicating the development of any nexus between Khalistani outfits
like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) or Khalistan Zindabad Force
(KZF) and militant Islamist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
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December 7: Pakistani-Canadian terror
suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana, co-accused with the Pakistani-American
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley in the November
26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), will be
tried in a federal court in Chicago on February 14.
A local court in Mumbai remanded
two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) operatives, arrested for allegedly
plotting strikes on oil and military installations in Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Gujarat and a railway station in the metropolis to judicial
custody till December 20, reports PTI. The militants, Mohammed Shareef
Thakkar and Mohammed Isak Kumlakh were arrested on November 15 from
Thane District in Maharashtra by State Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS).
An Army officer was injured in an
encounter with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants in Sopore town of
Baramulla District in the night of December 7, official sources
said, according to Daily Excelsior. The Security Forces (SFs) launched
an operation in Model Town area of Sopore after receiving information
about the presence of militants. The militants opened indiscriminate
firing on SFs when they were zeroing-in at a house. An Army Captain
was injured in the initial firing. At least two LeT militants were
suspected to be hiding in the house, Police said. Intermittent exchange
of firing between the two sides continued for several hours, they
said, adding that firing stopped at dusk.
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December 6: According to a recent
secret diplomatic cable of the United States State Department released
by WikiLeaks, Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
had made elaborate plans in June 2009 to assassinate Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi. The cable, created on June 19, 2009, was
sent from the office of the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton,
to the “Security Officer, Collective Priority,” and to the US embassies
in Tripoli, Casablanca and Johannesburg. The cable identified a
Pakistani LeT member, Shafiq, as the mastermind of the plot that
was to be executed by a module led by an Indian operative, identified
as Hussein. The hit job was to be carried out by one Sameer, an
India-based LeT cadre. Providing some geographic information for
the operations, the cable further said that Shafiq had been seeking
out information on possible training sites for the operations in
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
According to yet another leaked
cable which was sent on November 27, 2006 by former US Ambassador
to Pakistan Ryan C Crocker, American officials pressurized the Pakistan
Government to crack down on the LeT and its frontal organisation
Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD) but were unable to make much headway.
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December 6: China, at Islamabad's
behest, blocked efforts in the UN Security Council to put sanctions
against Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD) and its leader Hafiz Saeed which
was operating against India from Pakistan, reported quoting WikiLeaks
revelation of American diplomatic cable. A State Department cable
signed off by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released by WikiLeaks
also suggests that the JuD continues to operate and raise funds
and it was unclear what steps the Pakistan Government has taken
to freeze its assets to implement UN sanctions.
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December 5: Saudi Arabia is the
key source of funding for radical Islamist outfits including al-Qaeda
, the Taliban, Hamas and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), according to a United
States (US) diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks. "Donors in
Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to
Sunni terrorist groups worldwide," said the document, an assessment
from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dated December 30, 2009.
"Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for
al-Qaeda, the Taliban, LeT, and other terrorist outfits, including
Hamas, which probably raise million of dollars annually from Saudi
sources, often during Hajj and Ramadan," the cable revealed.
It said that the Saudis had made "significant progress"
under US pressure to deal with the issue, especially disrupting
al-Qaeda’s sources of money in Saudi Arabia. However, it added,
"Riyadh has taken only limited action" to interrupt the
flow of money to Taliban and LeT linked outfits which have launched
attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
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December 4: Exactly two years before
the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, American officials pressured
the Pakistan Government to crack down on the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) but were unable
to make much headway. A cable sent on November 27, 2006 by former
US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C Crocker, one of the hundreds released
by WikiLeaks, said the US embassy had raised the operations of the
two groups with "contacts throughout the Government of Pakistan"
after the LeT was designated a terrorist organisation under UN Security
Council resolution 1267 the previous year. Crocker took up the activities
of LeT, Al Akhtar Trust and Al Rashid Trust - all designated under
following the Mumbai attacks, the UN Security Council designated
the JuD a front for the LeT and imposed restrictions on its assets
and efforts to gain access to weapons. "No (Government of Pakistan)
official, however, has committed to taking direct action to close
the operations of these entities," Crocker wrote in the cable
exactly two years before November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks.
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December 2: Pakistan's Army and
ISI are covertly sponsoring four militant groups, including LeT,
and will not abandon them for any amount of US money, the American
envoy to Islamabad wrote in a secret review in 2009, reveals diplomatic
cables released by WikiLeaks.
Meanwhile, Siddhirganj Police of
Narayanganj District submitted charge sheet in the case filed against
Bangladesh coordinator of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Maulana Mohammad
Imran. The charge sheet was submitted under Anti-Terrorism Act.
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December 3: A Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB) team seized four bombs and two axes and arrested a militant
of Allar Dal, identified as Zahir Howlader (35) from Jalisha village
under Dulmki sub-district of Barisal District on December 1, reports
Daily Star. A case was filed with Dumki Police station under the
Arms Act in this regard.
Pakistan's Army and Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) are covertly sponsoring four militant groups,
including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and will not abandon them for any
amount of US money, the American envoy to Islamabad wrote in a secret
review in 2009, reveals diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks,
Times of India reports on December 1. According to a report in British
Newspaper The Guardian on November 30, the review said that Pakistan
had received more than USD 16 billion in American aid since 2001,
but "there is no chance that Pakistan will view enhanced assistance...
as sufficient compensation for abandoning support to these groups",
former US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson wrote in the review
of Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy in September 2009. Secret cables,
which were leaked by WikiLeaks, show that US diplomats and spies
believe Pakistan Army and its ISI continue to quietly back four
militant groups — the Afghan Taliban, its allied Haqqani and Hekmatyar
networks on the western Afghan frontier, and LeT on the eastern
border with India. Some ISI officials "continue to maintain
ties with a wide array of extremist organisations, in particular
the Taliban, LeT and other extremist organizations," US secretary
of state Hillary Clinton wrote in December 2009.
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December 1: Spanish Police arrested
six Pakistanis and a Nigerian suspected of providing forged passports
to outfits linked to al Qaeda, including the outfit accused of plotting
the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11).
Three others, two Pakistanis and a Thai national were held in Thailand
as part of the same Operation Kampai, which “neutralised a vast
cell that helped provide passports for al Qaeda”. Spanish Police
detained the seven suspects in raids in and around the north eastern
city of Barcelona, which has a large Pakistani community, late on
November 30. The gang stole documents, including passports, which
were sent to Thailand to be forged and then delivered to al Qaeda-linked
“terrorist groups”, in particular the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) that has been accused of plotting the Mumbai attacks, the
ministry said.
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December 1: Doda Police have initiated
a process to attach the property of about 100 militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), who were involved in a series
of subversive activities in Doda District, including killings, but
were presently operating from Pakistan or Pakistan occupied Kashmir
(PoK). Proceedings to attach property of two ‘commanders’ —one each
of LeT and HM — were set into motion on November 30 after Police
got proclamation against the militants issued under Section 87 of
the Criminal Procedure Code from the court. The militants against
whom the process to attach property has been initiated, included
Mohammad Amin alias Khubeb son of Dawood Bhat, a resident of (r/o)
Kathwa, Thathri, a LeT ‘commander’, who has been operating as 'Launching
Officer’ in PoK with the name of Gazi and Abdul Rashid son of Arsala
Khandey r/o Khanpura in Thathri, who is reportedly based in a Muzaffarabad
camp of HM in PoK. The militants have property in the form of houses,
shops, and costlier goods etc. in Thathri and other places in Doda.
The cases are being prepared to
get proclamation against many other militants issued from the court
to attach their property and send a stern message to the militants
and their commanders that they could face action in the First Information
Reports (FIRs) registered against them despite fleeing to Pakistan
or PoK, official sources said. To avoid from getting their property
attached, the militants would have to return and surrender. The
State Government has already announced a Rehabilitation Policy for
the militants under which they could return to the State from PoK.
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November 29: The Mumbai Anti-Terrorism
Squad (ATS) arrested two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants
in Thane District in Maharashtra. The duo was allegedly trying to
recruit members for carrying out terrorist activities targeting
oil installations in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. They were
also instructed to provide details about military installations
in Mumbai, Pune and Aurangabad. The arrestees were identified as
Mohammad Shareef Makkhandeen Thakkar and Mohammad Isaac Mohammad
Rashid Kumlakh, both hailing from Gakhrot in Rajouri District of
Jammu and Kashmir.
Three militants and a Policeman
were killed in a gun battle at a market place in Srinagar in the
afternoon of November 29, reported Daily Excelsior. The militants
riding on a motorcycle were intercepted by a patrolling party at
Qammarwari Chowk in the city, said Inspector General of Police (IGP,
Kashmir) S M Sahai, adding, the militants hurled a grenade towards
the Policemen and in the retaliatory action got killed. A civilian
was also injured in the cross-fire. Although the identity of the
slain militants could not be established immediately, Police sources
said one of the slain militants was believed to be a foreigner.
Two silencer-fitted pistols, three grenades and some ammunition
were recovered from the possession of the slain militants.
Further, asked about the number
of militants active in the city, the IGP said there were no militants
in Srinagar. "The militants come from other parts of the Valley,
strike in the city and go back," he added. "It is very
natural thing that they will try to regroup and reorganise. They
took advantage of the unrest in the Valley," Sahai said reiterating
that there was a definite link between separatists and militants.
The militants instigate and fuel the unrest so that they get time
to regroup, he added.
Meanwhile, revealing identity of
two Pakistani militants killed in a joint operation by the Security
Forces (SFs) in Handwara belt of Kupwara District on November 27,
Police on November 29 said the deceased included a ‘commander’ of
LeT instrumental in ex-filtration, infiltration and further distribution
of LeT cadres in North Kashmir. "We have established the identity
of the militants killed in a joint operation by Police and Army
at Moldari Wadder forest on November 27. They are ‘divisional commander’
of LeT for North Kashmir Abdul Rehman alias Naveed alias Talood
and his close associate Muslim Zaraar alias Muslim Bhai, both Pakistani
nationals," the IGP said. He said while Rehman was active in
Handwara belt for the last four years, Zaraar had been active in
Sopore and Rafiabad belt of Baramulla District.
Separately, a group of militants
with whom the SFs exchanged firing at Mohalla Gujran in the Bhati
Dhar area of Mendhar in Poonch District in the night of November
28 were reported to have escaped from Bhati Dhar forests. An Army
trooper was inured in the operation. While the security agencies
have put the number of militants involved in the operation at six,
Police said the militants were three or four and belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) outfit. Three of them were stated to be Pakistanis.
Elsewhere in the District, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) militant, identified as Abdul Majeed Sheikh alias Farooq, 32,
surrendered before Army and Police at Jabbi dhok in Loran area in
the morning of November 29. He handed over one AK-74 rifle, two
magazines and 40 rounds at the time of surrender. Official sources
said Sheikh had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)
in 2006 along with five other militants for arms training. He returned
to Kashmir valley in 2009 as a part of a group of three militants
from Kupwara sector.
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November 27: Army shot dead two
unidentified militants during an encounter in Zachaldara area of
Handwara in Kupwara District of Jammu and Kashmir, reports Daily
Excelsior. Two AK rifles and some ammunition were also recovered
from the possession of the slain militants. The militants, suspected
to be Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, had set up their base in the
area with the view to spend the winter months in hibernation. "So
far, 900 kilograms of ration have been recovered. It will take a
while to prepare a complete list," the sources said.
Meanwhile, an infiltration bid was
foiled near the line of control (LoC) in Trehgam sector of Kupwara
District in the night. The militants were forced to flee back to
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in view of the strong resistance
of the Security Forces (SFs) and tight cordon laid in the area.
However, the militants left behind huge quantity of the weapons,
ammunition and communication equipment including a radio set. More
than 40 infiltration bids have been foiled in the past three months
in North Kashmir Districts of Kupwara, Bandipora and Baramulla in
which dozens of militants have been killed.
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November 27: An arrested Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militant rejected Pakistan’s claim that it has dismantled
the terror infrastructure on its soil after the November 26, 2008
Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11). "The training
camps of LeT and other outfits were still active in Pakistan and
its occupied Kashmir, despite a crackdown launched by the authorities
there," Mohammad Saleem Rehmani alias Abu Saad, a resident
of Nawab Sahib area of Sindh in Pakistan, told reporters. "About
250 to 300 militants were with me during the Daura-e-Khas (advanced
course). We were being trained in handling weapons and launching
attacks on security forces in Kashmir," the militant, who was
part of an eight-member infiltrating column and managed their entry
through Lolab sector of Kupwara District, said. Rehmani claimed
that the permanent training camps were sealed by Pakistani authorities
after 26/11. However, he added that various make shift camps have
come up in the forests to facilitate the training of the recruits.
He admitted that Pakistani Army
was helping the militants to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.
"There are four to five launching pads active in 'Azad Kashmir'
where 45 to 50 militants are always ready to infiltrate. When they
are given green signal by the Army, they cross over," he said.
Expressing his ignorance about involvement of Pakistani Army in
training militants, he said, "I have not come across any Army
officer during my training at several camps in Pakistan and PoK."
Presenting the LeT militant before
the media persons, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Shiv
Murari Sahai said he was arrested by Police from Panzan area in
Budgam District a few days back.
Inspector General of Police (IGP),
Kashmir, Shiv Murari Sahai on November 26 said that Police has concrete
evidence about links between militants and separatists in triggering
and planning the recent unrest in Kashmir valley, reported Daily
Excelsior. "There is a concrete evidence that the recent agitation
was planned," Sahai said, adding, Police have found evidence
that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants planned the unrest and were
in league with the separatist politicians. "As our investigations
are making headway, we find that increasingly there is a very well-planned
operation on part of the Lashkar to carry out incidents of stone-pelting
and arson," he said. Sahai said Ghulam Mohammad Tantray, the
tehsil (revenue unit) president of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) in Sopore
town, had stayed with LeT ‘commander’ Furqan and was also maintaining
contact through telephone with him. "There are the direct evidences
to show how militant organisations and the so-called separatist
leaders, who are leading a so-called peaceful agitation are very
deeply linked," he added.
The IGP said the recent upsurge
in militant activity after the decline in the stone-pelting incidents
was another link to prove that the unrest was planned. "Stone
pelting has subsided and suddenly there is an upsurge in militant
activity. There are arrests of Pakistani militants, there have been
killings, this cannot be an innocent balance that once the stone
pelting increases the militant violence decreases," he said.
Sahai also claimed that during the interrogation of a stone-pelter
in Sopore it was revealed that militants are hiding in a house in
Sopore. "When the house was raided, we make some recoveries
which included uniforms with badges of (different) ranks. We conclude
that militants were planning to operate in uniform and these are
the likely signs of fidayeen (suicide) attacks," he said. He
said Police has busted a module of boys, recruited by a LeT operative
from Batamaloo locality of Srinagar, who were involved in hurling
grenades.
Talking about training camps in
Pakistan Sahai added, "The militant groups including Lashkar
are openly motivating youth to train them for attacks on security
forces in Kashmir. The militant has revealed that most of the camps
and motivation centres, which were claimed to have been closed by
Pakistan government, are still functional." Sahai said the
militants were put through three courses before being selected for
carrying out suicide attacks. "The first phase is Daura-e-Aam
(ordinary training) followed by Daura-e-Khas. The best out of the
second stage are selected for Daura-e-Lashkar (Lashkar or Army training)
to carry out suicide attacks," he said adding it indicated
the kind of training received by Rehmani before being sent here.
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November 25: Army and Police killed
three Pakistani militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) after a three
day long operation at Marha in upper reaches of Sailan in Surankote
tehsil (revenue unit) of Poonch District. Official sources said
all three militants were killed after daylong heavy exchange of
firing with troops. The militants were being searched since evening
of November 23 when first contact with them was established at Marha
in which a Special Police Officer (SPO) was injured. However, the
militants had managed to escape then. A contact with the militants
was established in Sailan forests in the morning of November 25.
The militants lobbed grenades and opened firing on the Security
Force (SF) personnel, who retaliated. Later, the militants entered
a dhok which was blasted by the SF personnel in which all three
militants were killed. The encounter ended late in the afternoon
with the recovery of dead bodies of all three militants. An Army
soldier and a civilian identified as Subba, a resident of Marha,
were injured in the firing. Also, four Army soldiers were wounded
when a tree fell on them with the impact of a rocket launcher fired
by the troops towards the dhok where the militants had been hiding.
Recoveries made from the slain militant’s possession included three
AK rifles with four magazines, one pistol, one Under Barrel Grenade
Launcher (UBGL), one Thoraya satellite telephone, three mobile telephones,
98 used cartridges, two pistol magazines, three bags and a set of
documents.
The slain militants included Abu
Ujefa, a ‘divisional commander’ of LeT, Abu Ali, the outfit’s in-charge
for twin border Districts of Poonch and Rajouri, who was operating
for last 15 years and was the longest surviving militant in the
two Districts and Abu Ikramat. All three slain militants were Pakistanis
affiliated with the LeT outfit, official sources said, adding Abu
Ujefa was ‘commanding’ them after his predecessor, Abu Osama was
killed. Sources said with the killing of these three militants the
strength of LeT, especially in the border Districts of Rajouri and
Poonch, has come down to 15. Only 25 to 30 militants were now active
in the two Districts.
Separately, Police unearthed an
arms dump of militants from the bed of a stream at Gundarvaish-Amarbugh
in Shopian District and recovered eight kilograms of RDX, three
Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) rounds, three hand grenades, 10 meters
of Cordex wire, 132 PIKA rounds and 147 AK assault rifle rounds.
Further, Police arrested an Over
Ground Worker (OGW) of LeT, identified as Ghulam Nabi Dar, a resident
of Harn village, during vehicle checking at Kulangam in the Handwara
area of Kupwara District, along with three Chinese grenades. Another
OGW, Manzoor Ahmad, was arrested from Waripora area in Pattan tehsil
of Baramulla District. The OGW led the SFs to recovery of huge cache
of arms and ammunition which included two solar powered rockets,
four hand grenades, two RPG rockets, a satellite phone and a Global
Positioning System (GPS). In addition, SFs arrested two OGWs of
the militants from village Koat in Kishtwar District. The arrestees
were identified as Qadir Hussain Lone and Farooq Ahmed Lone.
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November 24: The United States (US)
added Pakistan’s Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FeF), a charity associated
with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), to its official list of blacklisted
terror outfits. The US State Department said the FeF had been dubbed
an “alias” of LeT, which is already on the State Department’s list
of “designated foreign terrorist organisations”. Daniel Benjamin,
the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, said adding
that the move “shows the US will not tolerate any support to this
organisation. LeT has attempted to use FeF as a way to evade scrutiny.”
A United States (US) court issued
summons to senior officials of Pakistani Intelligence Agency Inter-Services
Intelligence(ISI), including its Chief Major General Ahmed Shuja
Pasha, along with alleged masterminds of the terrorist attacks in
Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) and Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) leaders Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi in response
to a lawsuit filed by relatives of two American victims accusing
them of providing material support for the 26/11 attacks, PTI reported
on November 25. The 26-page lawsuit was filed before a New York
Court on November 19 against the ISI and LeT by the relatives Rabbi
Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, who were both shot dead
by militants at the Chhabad House in Mumbai.
Pakistan Army, violating the cease-fire
aiming at facilitating infiltration attempt by the militants, opened
firing on Indian posts on the Line of Control (LoC) at Sona Gali
in the Mankote area of Poonch District in the morning of November
24 injuring a trooper, reported Daily Excelsior. The Security Forces
(SFs), however, thwarted attempt by the militants to infiltrate
into this side of the LoC.
Official sources said a group of
four to five Pakistani militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) tried
to intrude into Indian Territory breaching the LoC at Peer Post
near Sona Gali in Mankote area at 2.30am (IST). Simultaneously,
Pakistan Army opened firing on Indian positions to give covering
fire to the infiltrators. On e trooper was injured in the firing.
Meanwhile, the SFs retaliated to neutralize the infiltrators and
forced the militants to retrieve to their launching pads in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir (PoK) from where they had been launched.
Meanwhile, a top ‘commander’ of
the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Showket Ahmed, was arrested by the
SFs at Kakapora in Pulwama District, official sources said.
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November 23: The Security Forces
neutralised a hideout belonging to a Pakistani militant, Abdul Razaq
Baloch alias Abu Qitaal who was arrested on November 19, and recovered
huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including two solar powered
rockets and a satellite phone, in Baramulla District. On the basis
of information provided by Baloch, the SFs neutralized the hideout
in Waripora falling under the jurisdiction of Pattan Police Station
and recovered two solar rockets, four explosive rods, four Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) circuits, five kilograms of explosive powder,
six IED detonators, one pistol along with magazine and six. One
AK magazine, 121 rounds of AK ammunition, satellite phone with two
batteries, one radio set, one binocular, one anti tank mine, four
IED pipes, two IED fuse and one Chitra uniform were also seized.
The SFs also arrested one person in this regard.
Separately, the SFs arrested three
persons, including brother and father of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘commander’
Habib Gujjar alias Salman, who along with his associates was responsible
for several subversive activities, including the recent killing
of the mother of Special Task Force Head Constable Qasim Din in-charge
at Nagnigarh in the Keshwan area of Kishtwar District. The SFs arrested
the trio, identified as Jamaal Din and Khair Din, brother and father
respectively of Salman and Shahid Baroo, another associate of the
militant ‘commander’ from Nagnigarh and surrounding areas. Meanwhile,
Qasim Din’s brother, Noor Din, confirmed the presence of Jamaal
Din, Khair Din, Shahid Baroo and four to five militants along with
Salman when Qasim and Noor’s mother, Gujra Begum was shot dead by
the militants in the night of November 21. Jamaal Din had reportedly
displayed a weapon during attack on the house of Qasim Din. Police
also confirmed the arrest of three persons in connection with the
killing of Gujra Begum.
The New York Post reported that
a law suit was filed against Pakistan's external intelligence agency,
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
at the Brooklyn Federal Court in New York in the US by the relatives
of a Rabbi (Jewish religious teacher), who was shot dead along with
his pregnant wife during terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November
26, 2008 (also known as 26/11). Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and
his wife Rivka, who originally were from Brooklyn, were killed in
front of their two-year-old son Moshe when the militants entered
the Chabad Lubavitch centre in Mumbai..
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November 21: India will reiterate
its demand with Pakistan, asking it to hand over 'voice samples'
of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who have been in jail for their
involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and arrest the other
key players including Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Majeed. New Delhi will
send its formal communication to Islamabad ahead of the second anniversary
of the Mumbai carnage.
Intelligence inputs sent to Mumbai
Police by Central Agencies have hinted at Islamist militant outfits
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Indian Mujahideen
(IM) joining forces to carry out a terror attack on a five-star
hotel in Mumbai, similar to the November 26, 2008 offensive, Times
of India reported on November 21. Security agencies said a seven-member
gang comprising operatives from the three outfits has apparently
been dispatched to the city.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘commander’
Habib Gujjar alias Salman in the night of November 21 struck in
the house of Special Task Force (STF) Head Constable Qasim Din,
in-charge Nagnigarh, at Anjol village of Keshwan area of Kishtwar
District and shot dead his mother. Sources said Habib Gujjar along
with his two associates forced his entry into the house of Qasim
Din and held his brother Noor Din as hostage. Habib wanted to take
Noor Din with him. However, Noor Din’s 55 year old mother Gujra
Begum came to the rescue of her son and grappled with the militants.
Sources said Habib Gujjar opened firing on Gujra Begum and killed
her on spot. He also tried to kill Noor Din but he survived. Qasim
Din’s wife and two children sustained minor injuries. Later, Habib
Gujjar along with his two associates escaped from the incident site.
Qasim Din was on duty when his mother was killed.
Earlier, on November 20, Habib Gujjar
had escaped along with his associates during an encounter with Security
Forces (SFs) at Nagnigarh in the same District while his uncle,
Mohammad Shaffi, who was an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the outfit,
was killed in the exchange of firing. One pistol, one grenade, one
radio set, one mobile telephone, one torch and a bag full of dry
fruit were recovered from the possession of the slain OGW. Official
sources said Qasim Din had also led a Police team in the encounter
in which Shaffi was killed while Bashir Gujjar had escaped. Meanwhile,
people in Nagnigarh and surrounding areas held a demonstration in
the morning of November 21 to protest the killing as they described
the OGW as a civilian. Four SF personnel, including a Sub Inspector,
were injured in stone pelting by the protesters.
At least eight civilians were injured
in a grenade attack by militants on an Army convoy in Anantnag District.
"Militants hurled a grenade towards an Army convoy at Goriwan
in Bijbehara, which missed the intended target and exploded on the
road," official sources said. Eight persons, including four
aboard a Santro car, were injured in the grenade blast, which damaged
the car and a scooter parked by the road.
Meanwhile, Police arrested, Abdul
Razaq Baloch, a LeT militant and a resident of Multan in Punjab
Province of Pakistan, from village Budhnumbal in the Kralpora area
of Kupwara District. He was active in north Kashmir for several
years. One AK rifle, two magazines, eight rounds, one hand grenade,
one mobile phone and three memory cards were recovered from Baloch's
possession. Separately, Police arrested a militant of Tehreekul
Mujahideen militant outfit from Sunderabad in Narbal area of Budgam
District. Shabir Ahmad Ganaie, a resident of Dasan in Beerwah area
of the District, was arrested late in the night of November 20 along
with one pistol, six rounds and one hand grenade. Another militant,
identified as Munshi Khan, a resident of Drang in Tangmarg area
of Baramulla, was arrested from Shalimar Colony in Sopore town of
Baramulla District on November 21, where, according to an earlier
report, an unidentified LeT militant was killed in an encounter
with SFs in the evening of November 20. While, one pistol, one magazine
and eight rounds were recovered from the possession of the arrested
militant, the SFs also recovered one AK rifle, 122 rounds and one
hand grenade were recovered from the encounter site.
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November 19: Government counsel
Ujjwal Nikam told the Bombay High Court that Pakistani Lashkar-Taiba
(LeT) terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone arrested terrorist
in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as
26/11), and his companions were instructed by their LeT handlers
on telephone to hold as many hostages as possible during the terrorist
attacks to demand from the Indian Government the creation of a "separate
state for Muslims". To fulfil the demands for a separate State
for Muslims in India and liberation of Kashmir, LeT advised the
militants on phone to take VIPs as hostages to compel the Government
to act on them, Nikam told the court. He said that LeT handlers
had also advised the attackers to identify themselves as Indian
Muslims belonging to Indian Mujahideen and hide the fact that they
had come from Pakistan. Nikam added that these informations were
contained in the intercepts of telephonic conversations the handlers
in Pakistan had with the terrorists during the 26/11 attacks.
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November 17: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
is a profoundly dangerous outfit but not greater than al Qaeda,
Daniel Benjamin, State Department coordinator for counter terrorism
said. "Obviously, LeT is a profoundly dangerous group and its
support that it derives from doing social services is like Hamas,
is like Hezbollah, and is of course of great concern," Daniel
Benjamin said. "I don't think I ever said LeT was more dangerous
than al Qaeda, but it is certainly a very, very dangerous group.
That is why the work that we are doing with Pakistan, aside from
the law enforcement cooperation and we have been very supportive
of Pakistan's efforts to bring Mumbai perpetrators to justice,"
Benjamin told reporters in response to a question.
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November 16: Bangladesh Government
handed over three Pakistani nationals, who were arrested by the
Detective Branch of Police on November 13 for their link to Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT), to the Pakistan Government through its embassy in Dhaka,
reports Daily Star. Senior Superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail
Towhidul Islam told that Pakistani nationals Syed Abdul Kaiyum Azhari
alias Sufian (22), Mohammad Ashraf alias Zahid (24), and Mohammad
Monwar Ali (30), were freed from prison at around 12:30pm at the
directives of the Home Ministry.
A Delhi Court has acquitted an alleged
Jammu and Kashmir-based militant of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) of
the charge of waging war against the country, saying recoveries
of huge cache of arms and hawala money from him were not proved.
"Recovery of the arms and ammunitions have not been proved,
by no stretch of imagination, the charge of sedition can be said
to be proved against the accused (Irshad Ahmed Malik)," Additional
Sessions Judge J R Aryan said.
Malik, hailing from Doda District
of the State who was staying at Rajdhani hotel in South Delhi, was
arrested on the evening of March 27, 2004, by the special cell of
the Delhi police on a tip off. The police had recovered INR 2.75
lakh cash, alleged hawala money and a pistol along with eight live
cartridges, the charge sheet said. During the probe, the militant
also helped recover an AK-56 assault rifle and 60 cartridges from
a place near the Humayun's tomb in the national capital, it added.
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November 15: The Jama'at-ud-Dawa
(JuD) is openly running a public campaign to collect donations and
hides of sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha festival despite
Pakistan's Interior Ministry placing it on a list of 16 militant
or hardline groups barred from such activities. The JuD has set
up at least seven camps in Lahore to collect funds and hides of
sacrificial animals that are later sold to raise money for the outfit.
The camps are marked with large banners of the JuD or its front,
the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation.
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November 14: The United States should
use drones to target LeT hideouts if Pakistan does not destroy them,
says US bipartisan task force. In a report to the Barack Obama administration,
the task force warns that another Mumbai-like attack could lead
to a full-fledged war between India and Pakistan. "What we
are suggesting is that we include LeT in this target list, because
if the Pakistanis aren't willing to see this as a threat and indeed
an existential threat to them, then we see it that way, and we are
going to prosecute it," Richard Armitage, former deputy Secretary
of State said.
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November 13: The United States should
use drones to target Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) hideouts if Pakistan
does not destroy them, says US bipartisan task force. In a report
to the Barack Obama administration, the task force warns that another
Mumbai-like attack could lead to a full-fledged war between India
and Pakistan. “What we are suggesting is that we include LeT in
this target list, because if the Pakistanis aren’t willing to see
this as a threat and indeed an existential threat to them, then
we see it that way, and we are going to prosecute it,” Richard Armitage,
former deputy Secretary of State said.
Richard Armitage, while talking
to the media after the release of the task force’s report on Pakistan
and Afghanistan, urged Islamabad to realise that the Haqqani network
also posed an existential threat to the Pakistani state. “I would
hope they would see the Haqqani network in the same way they see
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), that this is ultimately a threat
to them as well,” said Richard Armitage. “On Lashkar-e-Taiba, they
have to see this as something that could, in a single stroke, cause
war between India and Pakistan, something that I think would delight
Al Qaeda no end,” he observed. “And why do I say this? LeT is trouble.
As I have already indicated, if they have one more strike, another
Mumbai-type attack, I do not think the Indian government can be
held back,” he added further.
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November 10: According to sources,
two operatives of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) attended a meeting of the Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist) near Bastar region of Chhattisgarh early 2010, Director
General of Police (DGP) Vishwa Ranjan said on. "Two LeT operatives
attended a CPI-Maoist central committee meeting as observers, held
sometime in April-May this year. They met in a jungle inside Orissa,
close to Bastar," said the DGP. "This information is based
on a single source, and needs to be cross-checked," he added.
The DGP, a former Additional Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB),
took charge as the State's Police Chief in July 2007.
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November 8: The US formally sent
to India the reply of Director of National Intelligence James R.
Clapper Jr. on the review of slip-ups following the warning received
by US agencies about the Pakistani-American LeT operative David
Coleman Headley's possible connections with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and involvement in the 26/11. The report was received by the Union
Home Ministry.
Two militants were killed in a failed
infiltration bid in the Tangdhar sector of Kupwara District on.
Troops noticed heavily armed group of militants near the Line of
Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector in the morning and challenged them,
official sources said. The militants opened heavy and indiscriminate
firing towards the troop’s positions, which was retaliated, triggering
off an encounter. Two militants were killed in the exchange of firing
that was going on till last reports came in. Although group affiliation
and identity of the slain militants could not be ascertained immediately,
they were believed to be foreigners and affiliated to Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT). There has been an increase in infiltration bids along the
LoC since September 2010 and more than 65 militants have been killed
in over two dozen bids made over past two and half months alone.
Meanwhile, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) militant, identified as Mohammad Iqbal Naik (code name Majid),
surrendered before Army and Police in Ramsu area of Ramban District.
He handed over one pistol, one magazine, three rounds and one mobile
telephone at the time of surrender.
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November 7: US President Barack
Obama, during his interaction with students at the St. Xavier's
College Mumbai, expressed the hope that India and Pakistan would
be able to live in peace despite their past history, reported Times
of India. However, he stressed India's key role in bringing about
a stable Pakistan and said a peaceful Pakistan would be in India's
interest. Obama also said the progress by Pakistan in fighting terrorism
is not quick enough and asserted that the US was working with Islamabad
to eradicate extremism which is a "cancer". Noting that
there are some elements in Pakistan that are affiliated with Taliban,
al Qaeda and the Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT), he said they are "irreconcilable"
and there needs to be a military response to those who perpetrate
violence like they did in Mumbai and New York in a "significant,
ongoing" way. The US President also regretted the fact that
the "great religion" of Islam has been distorted by a
few extremists to justify violence towards innocent people and called
for isolating of those elements.
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November 6: US officials received
at least five warnings that an American man who became a key figure
in the 2008 Mumbai attacks was training or working with extremists.
Despite the warnings to US intelligence agencies building up over
seven years, officials did not move to question David Coleman Headley
or place him on any watch list, the report said, citing a review
underway for the US director of national intelligence (DNI). The
report was co-published by the The Washington Post and ProPublica,
an investigative journalism group that reported the story. In October,
ProPublica revealed that one of Headley's wives had warned the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in August 2005 that her husband
had undergone intensive training programmes with the Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) and "was an active militant" with the radical extremist
group, in a report the newspaper said prompted the DNI review. Despite
the warnings, Headley continued to move freely, travelling to Pakistan,
India, Dubai and Europe in 2006, gathering information and material
that made possible the attacks by the Pakistani militants on Mumbai,
which left 166 people dead and more than 300 others injured.
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November 4: The United States imposed
sanctions on two Pakistan-based militant outfits and a key militant
leader for November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The Treasury Department
said it targeted the financial and support networks of Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM). It also took action against Azam
Cheema, saying he had helped train operatives for the November 2008
Mumbai attacks and was the “mastermind” behind the July 2006 Mumbai
train bombings carried out by LeT. The targets also included leaders
of LeT and JeM, as well as Al Rehmat Trust, an “operational front”
for JeM, the department said in a statement. LeT was already designated
as a foreign terrorist organisation in December 2001, the department
noted. “Today’s action – including the designation of Azam Cheema,
one of LeT’s leading commanders who was involved in the 2008 and
2006 Mumbai attacks – is an important step in incapacitating the
operational and financial networks of these deadly organisations,”
Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence,
said in the statement.
Pakistani American Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) operative David Coleman Headley revealed to his interrogators
of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in June that two Pakistani
handlers, Abdur Rehman (a retired Pakistan Army major) and Sajid
Majid had visited India in 2005 on the pretext of watching a Indo-Pak
cricket match. They had travelled to Delhi and Dehradun for a recce
of the National Defence College (NDC) and Indian Military Academy
(IMA) respectively as terror targets. Headley’s interrogation report
also carries some information on a number of aspects relating to
the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mission of the LeT. It includes information
on the jihadis' attempt to get "the arrested militant (Ajmal
Kasab) released in exchange for some people held hostage in Chabad
House".
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November 2: Police recovered and
defused a hand grenade at Sogam in Kupwara Districtin the afternoon
of November 2, reports Daily Excelsior. The hand grenade was found
lying on link road of Peer Mohallah in Sogam by a Police patrolling
party.
Separately, the Security Forces
arrested an Over Ground Worker of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), identified
as Kasir Bashir Mir, from Handwara area of Kupwara District. Two
UBGL grenades, a Pakistani mobile with SIM card and PKR 1005 were
recovered from Mir's possession.
Meanwhile, the two militants killed
by the SFs in Shopian District on November 2 were identified Slain
Mudasir Ahmad Bhat of Yamrach-Yaripora and Gowhar Ahmad Ganai of
Shirmaal village of Shopian, both affiliated to LeT. The latter
was a self-styled ‘commander’ of the outfit. As reported earlier,
two militants were killed in an encounter with SFs in Shopian District
in the morning of November 2.
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November 1: Four militants, including
two belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), were killed in separate
encounters with Security Forces (SFs) in Kupwara and Kulgam Districts
of Jammu and Kashmir. The LeT militants were killed in an encounter
with SFs at Kaladrung in Yaripora area of Kulgam District in the
afternoon. The slain militants were identified as Abu Huzaifa Mahi
and his local accomplice Mohammad Saleem Ganai. A LeT militant,
identified as Azad Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Shirmaal village of
Shopian, was also arrested during the encounter. A cache of arms
and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain militants.
In another encounter, two militants
were killed when SFs confronted them at Bhawan forests in Zachaldara
area of Handwara in Kupwara District. Their identity and affiliation
could not be ascertained as the search operation in the area was
on till late evening. Two AK assault rifles, six magazines, 90 rounds
of ammunition and two hand grenades were recovered from the encounter
site.
Meanwhile, the militant killed in
an encounter with SFs at Ahad Sahib area of Sopore town in Baramulla
District on October 31, was identified on November 1 as Irshad Ahmad
Mir alias Ammar, a resident of Gundbrat village of Sopore. Mir was
affiliated with Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). Two hand grenades were
recovered from the encounter site. A civilian was also injured in
the crossfire.
Meanwhile, curfew remained in force
in parts of North Kashmir for the third day on November 2 (today)
even as a separatist-sponsored strike disrupted normal life in Srinagar
and other major towns of the Valley. Curfew continued in Sopore
town and Delina and Palhalan villages of Baramulla District and
Bandipora District town as a precautionary measure.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
on November 1 said that the United States has promised to share
the outcome of the findings of a "full review" on the
American born Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley
with India, reports PTI. Chidambaram said the issue of the US not
sharing information about Headley was "blown out of proportion"
as the US had shared intelligence with India in the months leading
to 26/11 as well as after 26/11, though the name of Headley was
not mentioned.
-
October 31: Police arrested six
cadres of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) from Dhaka’s Kamrangirchar
area for their alleged involvement in anti-Government activities.
The Police also seized 70 posters, leaflets and a number of books
written by Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leaders from their possession.
Meanwhile, the Police arrested four
JeI members from Alekjander Bazar under Ramgoti sub-district of
Laxmipur District. The arrestees were Golam Mowla of Shikhagram
village, Nur Nobi and Mohammad Sumon of Sahapara village and Mahfuzur
Rahman of Sobuz village. Ramgoti Police station Officer-in-Charge
Mohammad Soliman Chowdhury said that they were arrested while they
were pasting posters of accused top five JeI leaders, including
Amir (chief) Motiur Rahman Nizami.
Separately, Abdul Malek alias Golam
Mohammad, an operative of the Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT), who was arrested on October 18, confessed his involvement
with the grenade attacks on an Awami League (AL) rally on Bangabandhu
Avenue on August 21, 2004. Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Emdadul Haque
recorded the statement of Golam and sent him to jail.
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October 28: Union Home Secretary
G.K. Pillai said that counter-terrorism cooperation between India
and the United States (US) was far more broad-based than it was
earlier. "Intelligence sharing has definitely improved in recent
months with the signing of the counter-terrorism security initiative.
The cooperation between India and U.S. is now far more broad-based,"
he told journalists in New Delhi. Earlier, on October 27, Pillai
had said that Indian agencies were "disappointed" at not
being provided specific information by the US on Pakistani American
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley either before
or after 26/11, else he could have been arrested when he visited
India in March 2009 as a LeT operative, four months after the Mumbai
attacks.
Meanwhile, the US said it had only
"more general and less specific" information on Headley
before the 26/11 attacks, adds Times of India. "If we had information
that could have helped to prevent the attacks and pinpoint specific
aspects of the attack, we would have certainly shared that too,"
Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication Ben
Rhodes told journalist on October 28.
The Government apprehends that Pakistan-based
terror groups may try to replicate Chhittisinghpora-type attack
on civilians and put the blame for such an incident on the Indian
Army to attract global attention to Kashmir in run-up to US President
Barack Obama's visit to India (November 6-8). Union Home Secretary
G K Pillai said on October 27: "We do believe that the visit
of US President to India is, shall I say from the publicity point
of view, large enough to try and create something even if it is
not in any place nearby where President Obama would be. But it could
be somewhere else and therefore we would take all precautions."
"That's the type of fear that we have that innocent civilians
will be killed and then the blame would be put, like the last time,
on the Indian Army. All indications are that the propaganda machinery
would be out to do the same. Therefore, we are being careful,"
Pillai told a TV news channel.
Asked whether he sees it as an attempt
to internationalise the Kashmir issue during Obama's visit, the
Home Secretary said: "I don't think it is a question of internationalising
as such because Americans have made their position very clear. But
definitely they would like to try and at least the militants would
like to see if they can have any spectacular incident which they
could then get world-wide attention on." Pillai, however, made
it clear that the Indian agencies do not have any specific intelligence
about such an attack.
He was replying to a question on
whether he apprehended the kind of attack India witnessed during
former US President Bill Clinton's visit in March 2000. The Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) terrorists in Indian Army fatigues, led by the outfit's ‘commander’
Muzammil, had killed 35 Sikhs in March 2000. The role of Muzammil
in the Chhittisingpora incident was also revealed by Pakistani-American
LeT David Coleman Headley to the NIA during his questioning in Chicago
in June.
-
October 26: A Dhaka Court granted
a four-day remand against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant Abdul Malek
alias Golam Mohammad in connection with the August 21 grenade attack
case on an Awami League (AL) rally. The Third Additional Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Mohammad Ali Hussain gave the directive after Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) produced the Pakistan-based LeT operative
before the court seeking a seven-day fresh remand.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka Court rejected
a bail petition of two assistant secretary generals of Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI) in connection with a case filed with Paltan Police Station
for preventing Police from discharging their duties on June 20,
2010. Third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ali
Hussain passed the order after Police produced Muhammad Kamaruzzaman
and Abdul Quader Molla on completion of their three-day remand in
the case.
-
October 24: About 1400 militants
from different parts of the State with majority of them drawn from
Kashmir Valley were still putting up in training camps of various
outfits in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Some of
them have been readied by Pakistan Army and Inter Services Intelligence
(ISI) to push them into the Indian side from the Line of Control
(LoC) and International Border (IB). This has been disclosed by
Abdul Waris alias Tauseef Illahi son of Abdul Rashid Sheikh, a resident
of Kishtwar and Musarat Hussain Zargar alias Firdous son of Ghulam
Qadir, a resident of Gandoh, Doda, the two close confidant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) supremo Syed Salahuddin during their continued interrogation
by the Special Operations Group (SOG), Jammu. Illahi and Zargar,
who had taken aerial route to enter India from Pakistan via Nepal
and subsequently reached Jammu from New Delhi where they were arrested,
were reported to have disclosed that majority of 1400 militants
from Jammu and Kashmir were affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and HM outfits while the number of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants
has considerably gone down as its cadre have mostly diverted to
the LeT outfit. According to them, some new militant groups have
also cropped up in Pakistan and PoK but their strength was not much
significant.
Meanwhile, Army Chief General V
K Singh said that Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is being
used as a "beating stick" by the separatists in Jammu
and Kashmir. "We are unnecessarily playing into the hands of
separatists for whom this is a beating stick," he stated.
The AFSPA was being "unnecessarily
demonised" although it had "nothing to do with the present
unrest (in Kashmir)", he said.
-
October 21: The Rajasthan Anti Terrorist
Squad (ATS) arrested three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants,
Babu alias Nishachandra Ali of Bikaner, Arun Jain of Nagaur and
Hafiz Abdul Majid of Jhalawar, allegedly involved in luring youths
in terror activities and sending them to Pakistan for training,
reported Times of India. They were under the Unlawful Activities
Prevention Act 1967. Preliminary investigations have revealed that
the LeT ‘commanders’ based in Pakistan were planning to carry out
anti-India activities through the Indians trained as terrorists
on Pakistani soil, according to an official release of Criminal
Investigation Department. The anti-India activities included bomb
explosions, circulation of counterfeit Indian currency, smuggling
of arms and ammunition, fuelling communal riots and violence in
the country and also working to ensure release of Pakistani terrorists
from Indian prisons.
During the course of investigations
it has also come to light that the imprisoned Pakistani terrorists
used to take other jailed Indian criminals into their confidence
and involve them in terror activities. After their release, these
criminals used to indulge in terrorist activities on the directives
of the LeT ‘commanders’ of Pakistan, the release said. During the
probe, it was also found that Pakistani spy Asgar Ali, who is being
held in Jodhpur jail, used to lure Indian inmates to undergo training
in Pakistani training camps and perpetrate terror in the country
on the behest of Pakistan-based LeT ‘commander’ Wahid alias Vikki
Bhai. Among those who were lured by Asgar were Nisha Chandra Ali
and Arun Jain. Both Ali and Jain had direct interaction with Vikki
and plans were afoot to hand over huge quantity of counterfeit Indian
currency to both of them, the release said. Efforts were made to
obtain Indian passports for Ali and Jain and send them to Pakistan.
However, as a number of criminal cases were pending against both
of them, the passports were not issued, the release said. Plans
were also made to send both of them to Pakistan through Nepal but
it could not materialise, the release added. However, the LeT ‘commanders’
were successful in inducting Hafiz Abdul, who used to teach in a
madrassa (seminary).
-
October 22: Nearly 80 trained militants,
armed with sophisticated weapons, are waiting to sneak into Jammu
and Kashmir from across the border along the Line of Control (LoC)
to create trouble in the State in the run up to American President
Barack Obama's visit to India early November. Intelligence inputs,
available with security agencies, pointed out that the militants,
belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM), Al
Badar, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and other terror groups, are looking
for opportunities to cross over to Jammu and Kashmir. "The
next 10 days are very crucial. We have information that the militants
will try to engage in violence in the run up to the US president's
visit to India," a Government official said.
The official said, "Militants
may also try to attack security forces and public properties before
or during the shift of government machinery from Srinagar to Jammu,
the winter capital of the State, on November 4 and 5". "At
present, there are about 500 active militants in the State, and
there also is need for us to step up vigil in the border areas as
the threat of infiltration persists," Jammu and Kashmir's Director
General of Police Kuldeep Khoda told reporters in Srinagar on October.
-
October 21. "The leadership
of various outfits such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba,
Jaish-e-Mohammed, HUJI [Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami] had done recess
along the LoC to plan infiltration. The HM supreme and United Jihad
Council (UJC) Chief Syed Sallaudin also visited camps to morally
boost his cadres along the Indo-Pak border some time back,"
the sources said.
-
October 19: Pakistan’s intelligence
agency Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) played a major role in
helping prepare the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India, David Headley,
one of the planners and main accused told Indian interrogators.
David Headley, who confessed to surveying targets for the attacks
that left 166 people dead in November 2008, made detailed claims
about support from the ISI. Headley described dozens of meetings
between officers of the ISI and militants from Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT),
citing a 109-page Indian Government report into his interrogation.
Delhi could escape a major terror
attack in 2009 when one of the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) terrorists
from Rawalpindi in Pakistan, who tried to come in through the legal
channel, was denied an Indian visa, Times of India reported on October
19. The terrorist was supposed to be in Delhi to carry out an attack
on the National Defence College (NDC) at Tees January Marg a target
recommended by Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley
to his bosses on the basis that a strike on the institution would
have killed more Indian Army officers than those who died in all
Indo-Pak wars put together.
The NIA interrogation report quoted
Headley as saying about the LeT's Delhi mission, "Abdur Rehman
(Lashkar operative) told me that a man from Rawalpindi was ready
to carry out the attack (in Delhi) but he had trouble to get visa
for India." Referring to Rehman, Headley explained that the
Rawalpindi man's visa application was turned down because "he
had a long beard". "Abdur Rehman told him to shave his
beard and he had reapplied for visa," the report said quoting
Headley. During his interrogation, Headley, also disclosed Rehman's
network in Nepal, which was activated to help the Rawalpindi man
once he would reach Delhi for his mission. It appears from the interrogation
report that the LeT operatives were more interested in attacking
the NDC than other targets in Delhi. "I gave him (Abdur Rehman)
the reconnaissance videos and we discussed each and every target
in detail. I told Rehman that we could kill more Indian military
officers in an attack on NDC than had been killed in all the wars
between India and Pakistan," Headley told his interrogators,
adding Rehman seemed to be more interested in attacking NDC.
That Delhi was perilously close
to being attacked by the LeT, figures in the disclosures Headley
made to the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) interrogators,
who questioned him in Chicago in June 2010. In his statement to
the NIA, Headley essentially repeated what he had earlier told the
US's Federal Bureau of Investigation. As reported earlier, Headley
had recceed several targets in Delhi the Sena Bhawan, Raksha Bhawan,
Vice-President's residence, Israeli embassy and Chabad House in
Paharganj area.
-
October 19: Security Forces (SFs)
shot dead a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant, identified as Ghulam
Nabi Chandel, while a ‘district commander’ of the outfit, Aiyaz
Ahmed Malik alias Abu Moosa, managed to escape in an injured condition
during a gun battle at Kanch Top in the Khari area of Banihal in
Ramban District. Recoveries made from the site of encounter included
one pistol, four pistol rounds, two radio sets, one mobile charger
and some eatables.
Delhi could escape a major terror
attack in 2009 when one of the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) terrorists
from Rawalpindi in Pakistan, who tried to come in through the legal
channel, was denied an Indian visa. The terrorist was supposed to
be in Delhi to carry out an attack on the National Defence College
(NDC) at Tees January Marg a target recommended by Pakistani-American
LeT operative David Coleman Headley to his bosses on the basis that
a strike on the institution would have killed more Indian Army officers
than those who died in all Indo-Pak wars put together.
The NIA interrogation report quoted
Headley as saying about the LeT's Delhi mission, "Abdur Rehman
(Lashkar operative) told me that a man from Rawalpindi was ready
to carry out the attack (in Delhi) but he had trouble to get visa
for India." Referring to Rehman, Headley explained that the
Rawalpindi man's visa application was turned down because "he
had a long beard". "Abdur Rehman told him to shave his
beard and he had reapplied for visa," the report said quoting
Headley. During his interrogation, Headley, also disclosed Rehman's
network in Nepal, which was activated to help the Rawalpindi man
once he would reach Delhi for his mission. It appears from the interrogation
report that the LeT operatives were more interested in attacking
the NDC than other targets in Delhi. "I gave him (Abdur Rehman)
the reconnaissance videos and we discussed each and every target
in detail. I told Rehman that we could kill more Indian military
officers in an attack on NDC than had been killed in all the wars
between India and Pakistan," Headley told his interrogators,
adding Rehman seemed to be more interested in attacking NDC.
That Delhi was perilously close
to being attacked by the LeT, figures in the disclosures Headley
made to the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) interrogators,
who questioned him in Chicago in June 2010. In his statement to
the NIA, Headley essentially repeated what he had earlier told the
US's Federal Bureau of Investigation. As reported earlier, Headley
had recceed several targets in Delhi the Sena Bhawan, Raksha Bhawan,
Vice-President's residence, Israeli embassy and Chabad House in
Paharganj area.
-
October 19: The Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, played a major role
in helping prepare the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks (also known
as 26/11), one of the planners of the attacks has told Indian interrogators.
Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley, who confessed to surveying
targets for the attacks that left 166 people dead, made detailed
claims about support from the ISI, said Britain's Guardian newspaper.
-
October 18: The Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militant Abdul Malek alias Golam was put on a four day fresh
remand for his involvement in supplying grenades for the attack
on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004. The Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) is set to interrogate him. Golam was arrested by
the Rapid Action Battalion on October 5 from the airport railway
station area in Dhaka. He was taken on a three-day remand and then
sent to jail through a Court.
Two of the three wives of Pakistani-American
David Coleman Headley forewarned the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known
as 26/11). Headley's American wife had given the FBI in New York
a tip-off on his Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) links in 2005, while his
Moroccan wife, Faiza Outalha, had told authorities in the US embassy
in Islamabad, less than a year before the Mumbai attacks, that Headley
was plotting a terror strike. Faiza Outalha, claims she even showed
the US embassy officials in Islamabad a photo of Headley and herself
in the Taj Mahal Hotel, where they stayed twice in April and May
2007. “Hotel records confirm their stay,” the New York Times (NYT)
reported. Outalha said that in two meetings with officials at the
US embassy in Islamabad, she told them that her husband had many
friends who were known to be LeT members. “Despite those warnings
by two of his three wives, Headley roamed far and wide on Lashkar's
behalf between 2002 and 2009, receiving training in small-calibre
weapons and counter surveillance, scouting targets for attacks,
and building a network of connections that extended from Chicago
to Pakistan's lawless north-western frontier,” NYT said.
Meanwhile, Mike Hammer, spokesman
of the National Security Council, White House stated, “Had we known
about the timing and other specifics related to the Mumbai attacks,
we would have immediately shared those details with India.” He said
the US “regularly provided threat information” to Indian officials
in 2008 before the attacks in Mumbai, adding, “It is our Government's
solemn responsibility to notify other nations of possible terrorist
activity on their soil.” He made the remarks when asked about an
investigative report on the Mumbai attacks published by Pro Publica,
an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative
journalism in the public interest.
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October 16: Four Army troopers were
also injured in the earlier reported encounter in the Kagora village
near Andrachi in Rajouri District, bordering Shopian in Pir Panjal
range. Two top militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed
in the encounter. The Army and Police called off the operation at
Pir Panjal range on October 17.
Separately, two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) militants, identified as Hilal Ahmad Rather and Showkat Ahmad
Mir, were arrested by the Security Forces (SFs) from the Pattan
area of Baramulla District. One pistol, one pistol magazine, five
rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from their possession.
An unnamed senior Police official said the duo were also found involved
in the recent spell of violent protests in the Pattan area. "They
were instigating the youth to confront the security forces and with
their arrest, we are hopeful that the situation in Pattan and adjoining
areas will improve," the officer said.
Further, Police arrested a suspected
HM militant, identified as Mohammad Rafiq, and foiled his plot to
get two contractors killed dubbing them as militants at village
Shikari in the Mahore area of Reasi District. Sources said Rafiq
during questioning has admitted that he tried to trap the contractors
and get them killed by Police due to his personal enmity with them.
Meanwhile, Police continued searches
for three HM militants, identified as Basharat, Rashid and Shaffi,
in upper reaches of Mahore, bordering Kulgam District. Though all
of them had escaped to Kulgam few days back following pressure maintained
on them by the SFs, there were reports that they were trying to
come back to Mahore again to revive network of HM.
-
October 15: The wife of a key figure
in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as
26/11) warned US federal agents three years beforehand that her
husband was training with a Pakistani militant group. Citing sources
close to the case, the daily said the wife of David Coleman Headley
warned Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in August 2005
that her husband had undergone intensive training with Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) and was in contact with extremists. Headley's wife, who was
not named in the report, called a terrorism hotline after getting
into a fight with him in August 2008, the Post said. The FBI agents
followed up, and interviewed her three times, the newspaper reported
in a story co-authored with journalism foundation Pro Publica. She
told agents that her husband "was an active militant in the
terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, had trained extensively in its
Pakistani camps, and had shopped for night vision goggles,"
the Post reported.
Despite the warning, Headley was
able to continue moving freely, travelling to Pakistan, India, Dubai
and Europe in 2006, gathering information and material that made
the attack possible. US anti-terrorism agencies did warn Indian
counterparts about a possible LeT plot to target Mumbai in 2008,
but it was unclear whether the warnings were based on Headley's
wife's tip-off two years earlier. Headley was reportedly also bragging
about being a US Government informant before the attacks, telling
his wife and others that he is working for the Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) and FBI. Headley did work as an informant for the DEA
in the 1990s when he was known by his birth name Daood Gilani and
had been arrested for smuggling heroin from Pakistan. After a second
arrest and more work for the agency, he went to Pakistan, where
he became radicalized, the Post reported. Then, after the September
11, 2001 attacks, he began telling people he was working for a joint
DEA-FBI project. But FBI officials told the Post they did not believe
Headley, who changed his name in 2006, had ever worked for the FBI.
Headley, the son of a former Pakistani diplomat and a white American
woman, is being held in the United States. He confessed to plotting
the attacks and in exchange for pleading guilty, US prosecutors
agreed he would not face extradition to India or the death penalty.
The al Qaeda and the Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) had planed to carry out deadly attacks through ‘multiple shoot-outs'
targeting the Commonwealth Games (CWG) village, sports venues and
a five-star hotel in New Delhi specifically on October 12 and 13.
Al Qaeda and LeT had chosen these two dates for their strikes using
terrorists trained in the region along Afghan-Pakistan border. The
plan was to sneak in a number of jihadis simultaneously through
India-Nepal or India-Bangladesh borders or from across the India's
western border. There was also intelligence input that some others
would come from West Asia, using legal channels through proper visas.
Government sources said that a Western
intelligence agency had tipped off India on October 10 about these
specific plans. The Government had immediately enhanced the security
of the Games venues and village from three layers to four and brought
in additional forces, including armed commandos, to foil any attempt
of sabotage even from air. "The input was very specific about
the venues and suggested that the terrorists would probably come
from West Asia, Nepal or from across India's western border,"
a source said. Security was also increased in all eight leading
five-star hotels in Delhi. There was also information that the terrorists
may use paragliders to reach the venues prompting authorities to
put in place anti-aircraft guns. "Credentials of all foreign
nationals arriving in international airports were checked one-by-one.
Twenty Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) were deployed besides keeping
ready a special team of 40 army and NSG commandos equipped with
special weapons capable to shoot down paragliders from a distance
near the sporting venues, including Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,"
said the source. "Though the general threat still exists, the
Delhi Police and other security agencies through their meticulous
planning and deployment averted any strike specifically during the
CWG," the source said.
Sources said that the fresh inputs
had nothing to do with what the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuJI) ‘commander’
and al Qaeda member Ilyas Kashmiri had threatened a month before
the Games. "The latest plan was the brainchild of some other
elements/modules within al-Qaeda and LeT," said a source.
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October 14: Faced with the leadership
crisis, decreasing number of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) cadres and lack of local support in many pockets of the Jammu
and Kashmir, the terrorists have made a shift in their operational
strategy while over 450-500 trained armed militants are reportedly
waiting at the launching pads on that side along the Line of Control
(LoC) in the South of Pir Panjal range. "There has been a shift
in the strategy of militants due to lack of considerable local support
from the populace in the hinterland. They are not getting hideouts,
food and shelter in the populated areas. Top terrorist leadership
has been wiped out and the lower cadre is at the run. They have
now changed strategy of mingling with the crowd and processionists,
instigate them to resort to violence and stone pelting", General
Officer Commanding (16 Corps) and Security Advisor Lieutenant General
Rameshwar Roy said at Nagrota, near Jammu on October 13.
The Corps Commander also said that
the intra-organisational rivalries mostly between LeT and HM have
also created problems for them in carrying on their activities.
Both the outfits are unable to get new recruits and adequate support
from the over ground workers or the local support. The recent spurt
in violent crowd in parts of Poonch and Kashmir Valley gave sufficient
inputs regarding mixing of such elements with the crowd and indulging
in destruction of public property, attacks on forces and instigating
youth to stoning, making them their soft targets. While referring
to the impact of disturbances in Kashmir Valley, he said that it
had a very little effect on this side of the Pir Panjal, which divides
the Valley and Jammu region. The protests in Kashmir have disrupted
the economy, tourism and other development activities, which otherwise
was at peak during 2008, 2009 and first half of 2010.
In reply to question he said as
per intelligence inputs and intercepts nearly 450-500 trained armed
terrorists are waiting to cross over to this side at the launching
pads along the Line of Control (LoC) in south of Pir Panjal. There
may be almost equal number of militants across the LoC on the north
of Pir Panjal but these figures may not be accurate. When asked
about the infiltration status in Jammu and Rajouri-Poonch sectors,
he said that infiltration attempts have been increased but there
was sharp decline in the terrorist violence. There was no let up
in the anti-terrorist operations and since January 2010, nearly
227 militants have been eliminated along LoC and the interior areas
in the State. He however, claimed that infiltration level was almost
zero but in view of human error some times or mountainous topography
of the area along LoC in Poonch and Rajouri, a few number may have
been able to cross over to this side.
When asked about the involvement
of women in militancy, he said, "We do not have confirmation
about them being active in terrorism but some of them may be working
as over ground workers".
-
October 11: A trooper injured in
a gun battle with militants in Sopore in Baramulla District on October
10 succumbed to injuries. As reported earlier, one Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militant, identified as Ikrama alias Topiwala, was killed
in the encounter while his local guide Showkat Ahmad was arrested
during the encounter.
Further, the Police arrested a suspected
person belonging to Punjabi community while moving under suspicious
circumstances along the International Border at village Pindi in
Arnia sector of Jammu District.
Meanwhile, Army Chief General V.
K. Singh said that infiltration bids from across the Line of Control
(LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have increased during the last two months,
with around 25 such incidents being witnessed in which nearly 40
militants were killed during the period. To deal with the situation,
the Army has evolved a strategy under which even if somebody manages
to infiltrate the Indian Territory "he gets killed later on",
he added. "As far as infiltration is concerned, we have controlled
it to a large extent... In the last two months, there have been
many attempts to infiltrate and we have achieved a lot of success
also in this regard," he told reporters. He, however, did not
give the figures preceding August. Talking about the last two months,
he said, "we have had approximately 20-25 attempts and the
total number of terrorists killed during this period has been about
35-40." Asked about reports suggesting that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) chief Syed Salahuddin, along with officials of Pakistan Army
and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), has been visiting terror
camps situated along the LoC, General Singh said, "Salahuddin
is on the other side... We are not worried with whom he goes around.
If he tries to infiltrate, he would also be dealt within the same
way his accomplices are."
-
October 11: A new phenomenon called
'legal infiltration' is causing concern among security agencies
in Jammu and Kashmir as reports emerge that youths are visiting
Pakistan on regular visas which are extended to facilitate their
basic training in handling explosives and weapons,. The matter came
to the fore when Police arrested one person from Budgam who had
ostensibly gone across the border for meeting relatives and later
extended it by another two weeks during which he underwent the Daura-e-Aam
(basic) training being organiszed by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). During
interrogation, the youth, whose identity has not been revealed,
told the investigators that there were other youths who were using
the same modus operandi to get the training facility.
In first week, a complete religious
course is imparted after which assembling of assault rifles and
detonating of grenades are taught. An unnamed senior official said
LeT adopted this method and has been targeting educated unemployed
youth in the Valley. "We have approached the immigration officials
to keep a close tab on youth who extended their visas in Pakistan
and the Gulf," the official said.
-
October 10: A Pakistani militant
of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed and his local guide arrested
in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) at Lathishat in the Bomai
area of Sopore town in Baramulla District. The slain militant, identified
as Ikrama alias Topiwalla, was an 'A' category militant and had
been active in North Kashmir area for past couple of years, the
sources said, adding, Ikrama was a close associate of top LeT ‘commander’
Abdullah Yuni. The arrested local guide was identified as Showkat
Ahmad alias Shawa. This is for the second time that Showkat has
been detained by the SFs in identical circumstances as he was earlier
arrested during a gun battle near Marble. He was let off by the
Police after six days, giving him the benefit of doubt.
Separately, the SFs killed a suspected
Bangladeshi national who was reportedly trying to ex-filtrate to
Pakistan from the fencing. Pakistani Rangers were also reported
to have fired few shots when the Indian troopers opened firing to
kill the suspect.
In addition, Police defused an Improvised
Explosive Devices (IED) at village Chichwa in upper reaches of Basantgarh
in Udhampur District.
Meanwhile, an entire network of
suspected militants and their harbourers originating from Gandoh
in the Doda District has been cracked by Doda Police with the arrest
of four suspects, including a Special Police Officer (SPO), posted
at Gandoh Police Station. They were instrumental in fabricating
and sending explosive material to Jammu, a consignment of which
was seized at Indira Chowk. As reported earlier, two militant operatives,
including Munib Ahmed and Munir Ahmed Malik alias Munna, were arrested
by Police after the recovery of apple boxes full of explosive material
from Indira Chowk in the evening of October 8 by Military Intelligence
and Counter Intelligence.
Further, the SFs arrested a Pakistani
national, identified as Inayatullah, at the Line of Control (LoC)
in the Balakote sector of Poonch District.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
arrested an explosive expert and its aide of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militants, identified as Wazed Khan alias Zafar alias Salman (27)
and Abu Bakkar Siddique (49), in Dhaka’s Uttara area on October
10 with a huge amount of explosives and bomb making materials, reports
Daily Star. It was the first arrest of any LeT bomb expert in the
country, according to Commander Mohammad Sohail, RAB’s legal and
media wing Director. He said the RAB had recovered 30 kilograms
of high explosive with the capacity equivalent to trinitrotoluene
(TNT) and six bottles of liquid chemical from their possession.
-
October 9: A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militant was killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in
Khetimargh village of Wangath area in Ganderbal District. Sources
said that the slain militant might be a Pakistani national. One
AK-47 rifle and some ammunition were recovered from slain militant.
-
October 8: The Security Forces (SFs)
arrested a top ranking militant of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in Ramban
Districts and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from them.
SFs launched a search operation at Bhimdasa forests in Gool area
of Ramban District and arrested top ranking HM militant, identified
as Abdul Rashid. Encounter was still going on to capture another
militant identified as Mohammad Iqbal son of Ghulam Akbar Naik R/o
Khari. Recoveries made from the site of encounter included one pistol,
eight rounds, 194 AK rounds, 237 Pika rounds and a large quantity
of ration items.
In another operation, SFs arrested
a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘commander’ Tariq Hussain Boro alias Abu
Darda (22), son of Mohammad Boro, a resident of Naginigarh, Keshwan
in Kishtwar District. Tariq Hussain Boro was a close associate of
LeT ‘commander’ Habib alias Salman.
Further, the Military Intelligence
and Counter Intelligence personnel arrested a top ranking HM militant,
identified as Munir Ahmed Malik alias Munna (26), son of Abdul Rashid,
a resident of Drodhi in Gandoh area of Doda District and recovered
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), concealed in apple boxes. Sources
said that Munna dropped the IEDs wrapped in 10 boxes of apple at
parapet of the road on Indira Chowk-MLA Hostel stretch and left
in the same Sumo No. 4849 JMU. The consignment was to be picked
up by another militant, who didn’t turn up.
-
October 7: Interpol issued red corner
notices against five Pakistani nationals, including two serving
Army officers, for their alleged role in plotting terror attacks
in India including the attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (Also
known as 26/11).The notices have been issued against Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) operatives Sajid Majid and Syed Abdur Rehman Hashim, Major
Iqbal, Major Sameer Ali, and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami chief Ilyas
Kashmiri.
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant,
identified as Tariq Hussain Bohru, was shot dead by his associate
at Duggad in the Keshwan area of Kishtwar District in the night
of October 6, reports Daily Excelsior. The Police identified the
killer as Sultan Bhat (code name Abu Nurnan). According to Police,
the inter-gang rivalry in the LeT was going on due to use of some
girls for over ground activities of the militants. Bohru is reported
to have opposed the use of girls for carrying arms and ammunition
to militant hideouts for which he had to lose his life.
Border Security Force (BSF) opened
firing on a group of suspected infiltrators in the forward area
of Chak Fakira on the International Border in the Samba sector of
Jammu. Official sources said the infiltrators, if any on Pakistan
side opposite Chak Fakira, retrieved after firing by the BSF.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani national
was arrested by the BSF in the night of October 5 from forward village
of Mangu Chak in Ramgarh sector in Samba District. The arrestee
has been identified as Mohammad Tariq, 32, son of Abdul Majid, a
resident of Harbanspura in Lahore (Pakistan).
-
October 7: The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
had increased its targeting of Indian citizens and Indian interests
in Afghanistan. Credible intelligence with the Indian Government
revealed that LeT has in fact become the principal dispenser of
instructions from Pakistan on Indian targets. Pakistan's Army-Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) establishments continue to direct operations
and even pay for the attacks while LeT is in charge of executing
the attacks. Even though there has been no major attack against
Indians since February, the attempts by Pakistan-sponsored LeT are
relentless. Sources said that LeT sometimes teams up with the Haqqani
network, but is not averse to using other terror assets against
India. The fact of Indians being LeT targets was also discussed
during the recent visit of CIA chief Leon Panetta. In July, 2010,
even US special envoy, Richard Holbrooke, was quoted as saying,
"LeT is co-equal threat along with al-Qaida. The LeT, al-Qaida
and Taliban are all working closer together than ever before."
Militants of several groups, including
the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM), are waiting along the Line of Control (LoC) in a bid to infiltrate
into Jammu and Kashmir, an unnamed senior army official said on
October 5, according to Indian Express. "Operatives of several
militant groups like LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, JeM and HuJI [Harkat-ul-Mujahideen],
are positioned along the LoC and making desperate attempts everyday
to cross the border. There are eight to nine militants in each group
who keep attempting to get a chance to sneak into our territory,"
he said. He also noted that once they fail to succeed at one place
due to high alertness of Indian troops, they immediately move to
other locations to make a fresh attempt. He further pointed out,
"Pakistan Security Forces are clearly involved in supporting
terrorist activities to create insecurity in Jammu and Kashmir,
especially in Jammu region."
-
October 6: The LeT had increased
its targeting of Indian citizens and Indian interests in Afghanistan.
Credible intelligence with the Indian Government revealed that LeT
has in fact become the principal dispenser of instructions from
Pakistan on Indian targets. Pakistan's Army-ISI establishments continue
to direct operations and even pay for the attacks while LeT is in
charge of executing the attacks. Sources said that LeT sometimes
teams up with the Haqqani network, but is not averse to using other
terror assets against India.
-
October 5: The Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB) personnel arrested two alleged operatives of Pakistan-based
militant outfits, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM),
from the Airport Railway Station area in Dhaka. The arrestees were
LeT cadre Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad (45), of village Indranagar
in Kaliganj sub-district of Satkhira District and his associate,
Pakistani citizen Mohammad Shafi alias Shamiullah alias Mostak (30),
a HM operative.
-
October 4: The Armed Forces once
again expressed their reservations against any move to withdraw
the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from trouble-torn Jammu
and Kashmir. The Indian air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal
P V Naik, who is also chairman of the chiefs of staff committee,
said soldiers needed "legal protection'' to be effective in
the battle against militancy. "I stand by my opinion expressed
earlier that a soldier fighting anywhere at the request of the government,
and not voluntarily, must have legal protection,'' said Naik, who
however added that it was the government's prerogative to take a
decision.
Militants abducted brother of a
Special Police Officer (SPO) from his house at village Harni in
the Gursai area of Poonch District but released him after handing
over him after assault. Reports said two unidentified militants
stormed into the house of Parvez Ahmed, who was posted as a SPO
in Mendhar. While the SPO was not present in his house, the militants
abducted his brother Mohammad Naseer and took him to Jabran forests
of Gursai. The militants assaulted Naseer asking him to tell his
brother to give up the job of SPO.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that
though there has been no shortage of the Subscriber Identification
Module (SIM) cards of local companies with the militants, they appeared
to be more relying upon Pakistani companies while speaking to their
‘commanders’ in the Pir Panjal range and other areas of the State
falling close to the Line of Control (LoC) where mobile telephones
of Pakistani companies catch signal. This was evident from the recovery
of four more SIM cards of an equal number of Pakistan mobile companies
from a hide-out of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit at village Uttrayan
in Kishtwar District.
-
October 3: The Centre asked all
the States to put targets which were recced by the American born
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley alias Dawood
Gilani under extra security cover, and step up their overall vigilance
in view of general threats. Besides alerting all the States, security
has also been tightened in 36 markets across New Delhi by deploying
additional 1,200 paramilitary personnel along with hundreds of other
Police personnel. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs also asked
the States to continue their alert during the coming major festivals
like Navratra, Durga Puja and Diwali, which attract major gathering.
-
September 30: Al Qaeda and a group
based in North Waziristan Agency calling itself ‘Brigade 313’, which
is made up of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied extremist
group members, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Karachi-based
Jandullah, has prepared a plan to attack the 19th Commonwealth Games,
which are due to be held in News Delhi from October 3 to October
14. The intelligence has originated from Kabul where a western military
source confirmed that, “We intercepted certain conversations that
gave us the impression that the attack on an important sporting
event is due in India.” Daily Times has been told that Ilyas Kashmiri,
who heads al Qaeda’s Brigade 313 and who is a former rogue SSG commando,
will be heading the whole operation to carry out this terrorist
plot in New Delhi.
-
September 28: Over 120 mortars and
rockets were fired by Pakistan Army in worst ever shelling and firing
for 11 hours on forward Indian positions in Krishna Ghati and Jhalas
sectors in Poonch District during which an attempt was made to push
a group of 12 to 15 militants into this side from across the Line
of Control (LoC). Sources said the firing from Pakistan side, which
had started at 8.20pm in the night of September 28 after an initial
brief spell at 10.30am, continued till 7am on September 29. As many
as 40 rockets, 80 mortars and over 6000 rounds of Light Machine
Gun (LMG) were fired by Pakistan army during about 11 hours of uninterrupted
firing at forward Indian posts of Kirpan, Teep Naveli, Nangi Tekri
and Kranti between Krishna Ghati and Jhalas sectors. Pakistan army
posts, active during the firing, included Roza, Battal, Pimple and
Daaku. "However, Pakistan army failed to push the infiltrators
due to effective retaliatory firing brought down by the troops.
The intrusion bid was foiled by the troops’’, sources said, adding
that at least 12 to 15 militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Al-Badr
had tried to intrude into this side under the cover of heavy firing
by Pakistan army.
Meanwhile, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) militant, identified as Taj Mohammad, 26, on September 29 surrendered
before the troops in the Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri District along
with arms and explosive devices. At the time of surrender, Taj handed
over one AK-47 rifle with one magazine and 30 rounds, one hand grenade,
22 detonators, one Identity card, PKR 500 and one matrix sheet.
In August, the LeT militant Rafiya Maulvi, a ‘district commander’
and his associate Mohammad Asif had surrendered before the troops
in Doda.
An unidentified militant was killed
in an encounter with Army troops near the Line of Control (LoC)
in the Nawgam sector of Kupwara District on. A gun battle broke
out when a search party of Army confronted heavily armed militants
in the forests of Badi Behak in Nawgam Sector near LoC on September
27. One militant was killed in the exchange of firing. The identity
and group affiliation of the slain militant could not be ascertained
immediately as the operation was still in progress.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Army resorted
to shelling with mortars and rockets and used heavy fire arms targeting
forward Indian posts in Krishna Ghati and Jhalas sectors in Poonch
District trying to push a big group of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and
Al-Badr militants from across the LoC. Indian troops retaliated
and neutralized the militants trying to infiltrate into Indian Territory
taking the cover of heavy firing from Pakistan army. There was no
report of infiltration by the militants till mid-night but the firing
was going on when the reports last came in. However, there was no
report of any casualties on Indian side so far. Casualties, if any,
on the other side were not known.
Frustrated over Pakistan's lacklustre
response to failed Times Square bombing, the US has warned Islamabad
that it will be "unable to stop the consequences" of any
terror attack, whose wires are linked to that country, a new book
by Bob Woodward, 'Obama's War', reveals on September 26, reports
Indian Express. President Barack Obama has sent his National Security
Adviser Gen (retd) James Jones and CIA chief Leon Panetta to express
his concerns to Islamabad, the book entitled 'Obama's War' said.
Obama, via his officials, also slammed Pakistan President Asif Ali
Zardari for not adequately interrogating Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘commander’
Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in 26/11 Mumbai attacks case and said "he
continues to direct LeT operations from his detention center."
But the US officials returned with nothing after powerful Army Chief
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani refused to adhere to any of the four
demands made by them. Kayani had other concerns -- India, the book
says. "The President wants everyone in Pakistan to understand
if such an attack connected to a Pakistani group is successful there
are some things even he would not be able to stop. Just there are
political realities in Pakistan, there are realities in the US",
an investigative US journalist Bob Woodward noted the officials'
message to Zardari in the book.
Further, the book reveals that the
US doesn't want to arm Pakistan against India, adds Times of India.
After 26/11 Mumbai carnage, in an Oval Office meeting with Pakistan's
President Asif Ali Zardari, US President Barrack Obama bluntly tells
him his country has to get over its obsession with India. "We
do not begrudge you being concerned about India," Obama tells
Zardari, "but we do not want to be part of arming you (Pakistan)
against India, so let me be very clear about that." Zardari's
response: "We're trying to change our world view but it's not
going to happen overnight."
-
September 24: The Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) is planning to trigger blasts using trained women terrorists
who will intermingle with protesters to carry out attacks as part
of a strategy to intensify violence in Kashmir Valley, according
to intelligence intercepts, reported Times of India. "It has
come to the notice of the intelligence agencies through various
inputs received that terrorists belonging to the LeT are likely
to intermingle with the protesters," a brief report of the
Army said. According to inputs received, the LeT operatives have
sought permission from their handlers across the border to lob grenades
or explode Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) during demonstrations
to trigger large scale casualties and incite protesters to resort
to violence, it said.
Such attacks are most likely to
be carried out in close proximity to camps and posts of Security
Forces so as to ensure that they face the brunt of the violence
and are forced to retaliate. "This is likely to set in motion
a chain of events leading to high rate of casualties," the
report said. The report said that highly trained women terrorists,
who are experts in handling of explosives, are likely to be at the
forefront of this new strategy aimed at upping the ante by exponentially
increasing the intensity of violence and consequently the number
of casualties. The local operatives and Over Ground Workers (OGWs)
have also been instructed to motivate the economically weaker sections
of the populace including women to join the protests, it said.
-
September 23: Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammed
Hussain Farid alias Bilal, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant arrested
by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for planning to commit
a terrorist activities, has been granted Police custody till October
2 by the Nashik sessions court.
-
September 22: Two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militants were killed in two separate encounters with the
Security Forces (SFs) in Sopore and Handwara towns of Baramulla
and Kupwara Districts respectively. The SFs launched a search operation
in the Dooru village of Sopore after receiving credible information
about the presence of militants there. In the encounter that followed,
one unidentified militant was killed.
In another encounter, the SFs shot
dead an unidentified militant at Dardhaji-Zachaldara in the Handwara
area of Kupwara District.
Meanwhile, more than 200 Village
Defence Committees (VDCs) were activated in Bani-Billawar belt and
more than two dozens in border areas of Hiranagar in Kathua District
by The police and civil administration following reports of movement
of seven LeT militants in the upper reaches and inputs cautioning
about fresh infiltration by the militants. Over 200 VDCs in Bani-Billawar
belt, each comprising about six to eight members which have been
lying low for past quite sometime, were activated by the authorities
after visit to all remote and mountainous areas and asked to maintain
a strict vigil on activities of the anti-national elements. There
had been reports with Police and civil administration that seven
militants, headed by a Pakistani Abu Maaz, were moving in Bani-Billawar
belt especially in upper reaches of Lohai Malhar. Movement of the
militants has been confirmed by local people and Police besides
some nomads.
-
September 20: Lawyers defending
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘commander’ Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six others
charged with involvement in the in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks said
that none of them will go to India as part of a proposed commission
to record the testimony of key witnesses, including surviving attacker
Ajmal Kasab. "We will not go to India because of security concerns.
There has been hatred among the general public against Kasab,"
senior advocate Khwaja Sultan, the counsel for LeT ‘commander’ Lakhvi,
told PTI. Sultan noted that the lawyer of Fahim Ansari, one of the
Indians accused of involvement in the Mumbai attacks, was shot dead.
"We cannot risk our lives by going to India when we are the
counsel for the accused here," he added. He also claimed it
would not be easy for the Indian government to provide security
to the proposed commission.
Security Forces (SFs) in the evening
of September 20 recovered decomposed dead bodies of two militants
at Rautagali near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Karnah sector
of Kupwara District, a Police spokesman said, according to Daily
Excelsior. Two AK assault rifles, nine hand grenades and three UBGL
grenades were recovered from the slain militants whose identity
and group affiliations could not be ascertained. Both the militants
were believed to have been killed in gun battles with the SFs while
trying to sneak into India from across the border.
Meanwhile, seven top militants of
the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul- Mujahideen (HM), including
a Pakistani national, were reported to have sneaked into upper reaches
of Bani and Billawar in Kathua District and were in the process
of setting up their hideouts somewhere in Lohai Malhar area to recruit
local youths into militancy and create infrastructure for more militants.
Abu Maaz, a resident of Sialkot, Pakistan, whose real brother Abu
Talha was killed in an encounter with SFs in Billawar in 2006, was
leading the group along with a local Zubaid of Bhaderwah in Doda
District. Intercepts have also revealed that 15 to 17 LeT militants
were camping across the International Border (IB) between Hiranagar
to Gurdaspur (Punjab) sectors and were in touch with Abu Maaz.
-
September 19: Two militants and
a trooper were killed in an encounter at Dardpora near Paner in
the Bandipora District. A civilian was also killed in the exchange
of firing between the two sides, official sources said. One militant
was killed in the same District on an unspecified date. The identity
and group affiliation of the slain militants could not be ascertained
immediately as the operation was still going on.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Army tried to
push 16 Pakistani and local militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
into Indian territory during two major infiltration attempts in
past four days from forward areas of Balnoi and Jhalas in Poonch
sector. Both the bids were foiled by the troops. Further, reports
indicate that a number of militants have been seen in Tetrinote,
Madarpur and Mandol areas on the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir (PoK) opposite Jhalas and Balnoi villages of Poonch
sector from where Pakistani troops of Mujahideen Regiment tried
to push two groups of eight militants each into Indian side during
past four days. Official sources said more than 70 militants have
been camping at launching pads in forward areas of LoC opposite
Jhalas, Balnoi, Mendhar and Krishna Ghati sectors in Poonch District.
Majority of them were believed to be Pakistani cadre of the LeT.
Very few of them were locals from Kashmir valley and Doda District,
who were affiliated to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).
Police arrested a HM militant, identified
as Mohammad Sharief, and seized terror fund worth INR 20,000 from
his possession which he was going to deliver to outfit’s ‘district
commander’ Qari Zubair in the Khari area of Banihal in Ramban District.
-
September 17: Mirza Himayat Baig,
the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative arrested by the Maharashtra
Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) over his alleged involvement in the German
Bakery blast case in Pune, revealed during interrogation that he
had purchased the haversack and the mobile phone used in the blast
from two shops in South Mumbai’s Crawford Market. An earlier forensic
probe had found that the trigger used for the blast was an alarm
ringer within the cell phone with the Improvised Explosive Device
(IED) placed inside a red haversack. Baig is believed to have come
to Mumbai by a private bus and stayed at a guesthouse in the Crawford
Market area for a day under his operative name ‘Yusuf’. The guesthouse
is a dormitory with INR 180 as daily rent. The Maharashtra ATS seized
the guesthouse register in which they identified his ‘handwritten
name and signature’. Documents of purchase and registers at the
two shops were seized too. The agency is tracing his travels within
the state and collecting evidence to establish the chain of events.
-
September 13: Three militants, believed
to be part of a major group of infiltrators, were killed in an encounter
with Army in the Bandipora District. Three militants, whose identity
is being ascertained, were killed after they were confronted by
a search party in the upper reaches of Bandipora District, Defence
spokesman Lt. Col. J. S. Brar said. The search operation in the
area was still continuing as presence of some more militants is
suspected in the woods.
In the other incident, Police said
a group of militants intruded into the house of Mehraj-ud-din Ganai,
a trooper with Territorial Army at Pulwama and shot him from point
blank range. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility
for the killing of the trooper, but sources suspected the hand of
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants in the
act.
-
On September 12, the bullet riddled
dead body of civilian, identified as Khurshid Ahmad, was recovered
from a forest area in the Surankote tehsil (revenue unit) of Poonch
District. The body was recovered nearly 10 days after Khurshid was
abducted from his house by two militants at gun point in the night
of September 3.
-
September 10: IANS reports that
two suspected cadres of the Communist Part of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist),
identified as Dilip Hembram and Bullet Mahato, were arrested by
Security Forces (SFs) from West Midnapore and Bankura Districts,
Police said. Dilip Hembram, a resident of Keshiara in Goaltore area
of West Midnapore District was arrested from Koyena village in Sarenga
of Bankura District in the night of September 9. A firearm and several
rounds of ammunition were recovered from him, Bankura Superintendent
of Police Pranav Kumar said. Dilip was accused in several cases
including murder, sedition and robbery, he added.
In a separate incident, Bullet Mahato
was arrested by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Police during
a joint operation from Buripala area of Lalgarh in West Midnapore
District. West Midnapore Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operation)
Aneesh Sarkar said: "Mahato's arrest will help us to get information
about the other members of the group active in the Kalshibangha
area for the past few weeks."
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September 9: Mirza Himayat Baig,
chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) unit in Maharashtra along with
another person, Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammad Hussain Farid alias Bilal,
was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on September
7. They were involved in the German Bakery blast case in Pune in
which 17 persons died and 56 others were injured on February 13.
At a press conference in Mumbai, ATS chief Rakesh Maria on September
8 said Baig was involved in every stage of the incident, from conspiracy
to planting the bomb in the bakery.
Rakesh Maria, chief of the Maharashtra
Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) told journalists in Mumbai on that Himayat
Baig, the alleged mastermind of the German Bakery blast case (February
13, 2010) in Pune, arrested by the ATS, received one-to-one training
in bomb-making in Colombo in Sri Lanka in 2008 from Fayyaz Qazi,
an absconding Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Maria said, the Sri
Lankan city was chosen only as a meeting point and there was no
other significance to it. Ruling out the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) or any other connection, he said, "There seems
to be only two reasons for choosing Colombo: the access to the country
is easy as there is visa-on-arrival facility."
Maria also said that Baig earlier
received training in Bhatkal in Karnataka as well in 2007. He was
trained in the methods of indoctrinating youth and the techniques
to deal with Police interrogation. His primary job was to recruit
and send youth for training to Pakistan. He even became a member
of the Popular Front of India (PFI) for the same purpose. He was
in touch with the LeT and had also been to Ashoka Mews in Pune (the
media hub of the Indian Mujahideen which was busted by the ATS).
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September 8: Pakistan expressed
its dissatisfaction with India’s replies to its questions on Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) operative David Headley, detained in the US in connection
with the Mumbai terror attacks. The Interior Ministry had in August
2010 sent about 50 questions to Indian authorities about the Pakistani-American
national Headley's role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The questions
related to his nine visits to India and meetings with people there.
India was asked if Headley had been under surveillance during the
visits. Though there has been no official word from the Government
on the latest Indian dossier, a senior official was quoted as saying
by the Pakistani newspaper The Dawn that the Indian response to
their queries was hardly relevant.
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September 7: The Union Government
expressed its openness to Pakistan's proposal to form a commission
on the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (also known as 26/11)
and send it to New Delhi to record the testimony of two key witnesses,
the magistrate, who recorded the confessional statement of Mohammad
Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant
of the terror attacks, and the Police Officer who investigated the
incident, but will wait for a formal request from Islamabad. Government
sources said India has no problem in discussing Pakistan's proposal
for such an arrangement as New Delhi had already agreed to let its
officials depose before a Pakistani court via video-conferencing.
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September 5: The trial of Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militant Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects in Mumbai
attacks and Pakistan's proposal to form a commission that would
visit India to record testimony of two key witnesses figured prominently
in the telephonic conversation of Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman
Malik and his Indian counterpart P. Chidambaram. During their conversation,
the Pakistani Minister proposed that a Commission may be formed
to visit India to record the testimony of two key Indian witnesses
for taking forward the trial of the seven Pakistani suspects. Though
India proposed that the testimony of the two witnesses, the Magistrate
who recorded the confessional statement of lone surviving Mumbai
attacker Ajmal Kasab and the Police Officer who investigated the
incident, should be recorded via video conferencing, Malik said
this was not permitted by Pakistani laws.
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September 4: India is yet to get
a reply from Pakistan to its request for voice samples of key Mumbai
terror attack accused including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. Government sources said Islamabad has not
yet replied to New Delhi''s request for the voice samples of LeT
operatives Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu Al Qama, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Hamad
Amin Sadiq, Younus Anjum and Jamil Ahmed. India sought the voice
samples of the accused so that they can be matched with recordings
of Pakistan based handlers who were coordinating the actions of
the 10 militants who had carried out the attacks in Mumbai on November
26, 2008.
Meanwhile, a recently arrested Surankote
based HM militant, Liaquat Hussain, during his questioning by Police
revealed that nearly 15 young girls of Surankote tehsil (revenue
unit) in Poonch District, who have been taken to Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK) by the militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and HM by
marrying them, were also undergoing arms training in different camps
across the Line of Control (LoC). Liaquat is reported to have disclosed
that Pakistan Army and militant ‘commanders’ have given a plot of
land to each woman militant and INR 5 lakh for construction in Bagh
area of PoK after they agreed to undergo training and join the cadre
of militants. Besides 13 to 15 Poonch women, nearly 100 women militants
of Pakistan were also being trained in militancy by Pakistan Army
and their commanders.
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September 3: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) ‘divisional commander’ Firdous Ahmed Mattoo alias Prince, operating
in Kishtwar District for last several years, surrendered before
Anantnag Police.
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September 1: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militants and a guide were engaged in an encounter with Security
Forces and Police at Sanjot near Dera Ki Gali in Poonch District.
However, there were no casualties. The militants were reported to
have escaped. Sources said they were operating in Poonch District
for last three to four years.
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August 31: Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (JuD)
is reportedly trying to take advantage of the large-scale misery
caused by the devastating floods in Pakistan by attempting to enlist
50,000 new fighters for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According
to reports, thousands of militants are in flood-hit regions to carry
out relief efforts. In return for their humanitarian deed, the terrorists
demand the men to promise that they would join the fight against
the West. "They see the disaster as a perfect chance to launch
their biggest recruiting drive in a decade," said an intelligence
official, adding, "This is disastrous for Pakistan and the
war against terror." Pakistan Army official Mohammed Anwar
added that "the Government has pulled thousands of soldiers
away from Swat to help in relief across Pakistan." "So,
the Taliban have returned with bags of money. It was a war we were
winning, and because of the flood we are losing it again,"
he added. It is reported that members of the al-Qaeda supporting
Al-Rehmat Trust and JuD are behind the recruiting campaign.
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August 30: The lack of global response
in flood hit Pakistan opens up room for militant and religious outfits
to intervene. The gap is being filled by religious organisations
that are ready to provide the people with food and funds too. “We
are the people of Pakistan and the masses trust us. We have sympathisers
and volunteers in all parts of the country and will not leave our
people in their hour of need,” a Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (JuD) volunteer
said. It is a fact that, if the world community does not come out
to rehabilitate the affected people, the terrorists will come in
and that will certainly damage not only the war on terrorism, but
the attempts to weaken militancy in the northern and under-developed
areas of the country.
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August 26: Activists of banned militant
outfits are reported to be collecting funds and relief goods for
the flood victims with impunity in various areas across the provincial
capital. Many camps have been established by these banned outfits
across various points in the city. Posters, banners and flags of
the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been openly displayed in and around
these camps and extremists are seen openly collecting money from
citizens. Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation Supervisor of Media Committee,
Muhammad Yahya Mujahid, who is also the spokesman for the Jama’at-ud-Da’awa
(JuD), claimed that relief goods and millions of rupees have been
dispatched to Punjab and Sindh’s flood-hit areas.
Police arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militant, identified as Irshad Ahmed, for providing Subscriber
Identification Module (SIM) cards to militant ‘commanders’ of the
outfit in Kishtwar District. Police said during investigations of
the case registered at Kishtwar Police Station in connection with
recovery of a large number of SIM cards from slain and arrested
militants of the LeT, Police carried out raids in Patnazi area and
arrested Irshad, instrumental in supplying a SIM card to LeT militant
Nazir Ahmed Gorsi alias Saqib, who was arrested few days back.
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August 25: The Intelligence Bureau
(IB) warned that "inimical agencies" operating from "international
bases" were trying to revive militancy in Punjab by forging
an alliance between Khalistani outfits and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Calling attempts to revive Sikh militancy a worrisome trend, IB
Chief Rajiv Mathur said, "There have been clear attempts by
inimical agencies abroad to reactivate Sikh terrorist elements,
forge nexus between LeT and terrorist groups like Babbar Khalsa
International (BKI) and Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and mobilise
their resources for planning terrorist violence in Punjab and elsewhere
in the country." Mathur, though, did not name any country or
identified any agency, officials tracking the development later
said interrogation of those arrested recently in Jalandhar and Amritsar
in Punjab clearly hinted at their association with Pakistani intelligence
agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
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August 22: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Government decided to take action against outlawed terrorist outfits
involved in collecting donations for the flood affectees by using
different names. Sources said that the provincial Government issued
directives to all District Coordination Officers (DCO) to strictly
monitor the activities of banned outfits involved in collecting
donations for the flood victims. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government
issued the directives after receiving various reports that outlawed
terrorist outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), blamed for
the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and others that
had been collecting donations for the flood victims by using different
names and by disguising their actual leadership.
Two top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants
including a ‘district commander’ surrendered before the Police and
Army in Doda District along with arms, ammunition and explosives.
They were identified as Ghulam Mohammad Mengnoo alias Gulla alias
Abu Rasia and Asif Ahmed Bhat. They handed over one AK-47 rifle,
two Chinese Mousers, three AK magazines with 40 rounds, one HE grenade,
a pouch and a large quantity of other explosive material and ammunition
at the time of surrender before senior officers of the Army and
Police. Both of them were ‘A’ category militants, official sources
said. Official sources said Gulla Mengnoo was a District commander
of the LeT outfit and was operating in Doda District since 2005.
Asif Ahmed Bhat was an active militant of the LeT since 2008. He
was also involved in militant activities in Doda and Kishtwar Districts.
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August 20: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
poster appealing people to condemn and raise voice against the killing
of civilians in Kashmir was pasted by some unidentified people in
Kishtwar town. An eyewitness said that the poster was pasted on
a wall near Jamia Masjid. Written in Urdu on letter pad of LeT,
with proper seal and signature, the people were asked to condemn
killing of civilians in Kashmir and raise voice against the act
of the SFs. The security agencies immediately removed the poster.
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August 20: Authorities have restricted
access to hundreds of Internet pages containing “anti-Islamic content”,
but have allowed these outfits to operate online without censorship.
“Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook give such outfits
a forum for carrying forward their agenda,” said Amir Rana, an author
and expert on the Taliban and militancy in the country. “They are
effective tools for such groups,” he added Groups with Facebook
pages include Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and the Jama’at-ud-Da’awa
(JuD), which is on the UN terror blacklist and linked by India to
the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
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August 19: Pakistan's move to send
47 questions to India seeking additional information on Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) operative David Coleman Headley and his activities during
his multiple visits to the country between 2006 and 2009 was nothing
but "delaying tactics" to act against perpetrators of
the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case. India would soon respond to the questions.
Responding to the dossiers given by India seeking action against
LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and his accomplices for their involvement
in the Mumbai attacks, Islamabad last week sent the questions related
to Headley's nine trips to India between 2006 and 2009. An official
said, "The questionnaire is nothing but delaying tactics of
Pakistan as we have already given all inputs about Headley. Besides,
many answers to their questions are available on websites as FBI
and Chicago legal department uploaded a lot of information about
him." The questions asked by Pakistan include whether Indian
security agencies had information about Headley's visits to India,
was he was under surveillance then, how did Headley pay his hotel
bills and what kind of transport did he use for travel within India.
Security Forces (SFs) neutralised
a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and recovered a consignment
of explosive material and ammunition in the Taryath area of Rajouri
District. The recoveries included two Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs), one kilogram of RDX, 60 PIKA rounds, 211 AK rounds, two
AK magazines and one binocular.
Meanwhile, the SFs arrested an Over
Ground Worker (OGW) of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), identified as
Sajjad Ahmed, from Nawapachi forest area in the Kishtwar District
on August 19.
Pakistan Army resorted to heavy
firing, including mortars and rockets, directly targeting forward
Indian positions on the Line of Control (LoC) at Nangi Tekri in
Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch District in the morning of August
19, reported Daily Excelsior. The firing, reportedly aimed at pushing
a group of eight foreign militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) into
this side, was effectively retaliated by the Indian troops thwarting
the infiltration bid. No casualties or major damage was reported
on Indian side.
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August 16: A militant and their
four Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were arrested by the Security Forces
(SFs) in four separate search operations in Rajouri, Kishtwar, Doda
and Reasi Districts. The SFs arrested a militant, identified as
Gani Gujjar, from village Hindigam in the Chatru area of Doda District
along with one 12 bore gun, one fake identity card and some other
items.
Police arrested two OGWs from Thanna
Mandi area of Rajouri District and recovered INR 35,000 worth terror
fund from their possession. Police said the OGWs were working for
the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants providing them logistic support,
eatables, safe hide-outs and Subscriber Identification Module (SIM)
cards. Further, a LeT sympathizer Mohammad Shafi was arrested from
Tipri Bonjwah in the Kishtwar District by Police for supplying two
SIM cards to slain LeT ‘commander’ Mohammad Ishaq Bhatt alias Ateeq.
Ateeq had further supplied the SIM cards to his associate Shafi
Pathan. Mohammad Shaffi had obtained the SIM cards on his name and
supplied them to the militant. Another OGW, Guam Mohammad, was arrested
by the SFs from Relan in the Gulgul area of Reasi District.
Meanwhile, the Central Government
has decided to release 46 more Pakistani militants and illegal border
crossers arrested in Jammu and Kashmir for past several years for
their involvement in subversive activities. Nine Pakistani militants
and border crossers were released on August 16, while 37 other foreign
militants and illegal border crossers have been recommended for
consular access on August 24 in Amritsar (Punjab).
The encounter in the Sheru forests
of Saran Wali area atop Shahdara Sharief in Rajouri District ended
with Security Forces (SFs) killing of one more Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militant. As reported earlier, two LeT militants and an Army trooper
were killed while an Army Major was injured along with a Special
Police Officer (SPO) and a civilian in the encounter at Sheru forests
on August 15. Dead bodies of all three militants identified as ‘divisional
commander’ Abu Shoaib alias Abu Ali, Ujjafa Qamar alias Doctor,
both Pakistanis and Abu Akram alias Sajid Kashmiri were recovered
from the site of encounter. Recoveries made from the site of encounter
included three AK-56 rifles with 14 magazines, five grenades, six
mobile telephones, six SIM cards, one satellite telephone, a brass
stamp of LeT and some explosive material.
Separately, the SFs neutralised
a militant hideout in the Dhok Dhelia forests under the jurisdiction
of Budhal Police Station in Rajouri District. Recoveries made from
the hideout included five kilograms of improvised explosive device
(IED), two Chinese grenades, one wireless set with antenna, one
radio set, a torch and 12 pencil cells.
Meanwhile, normal life remained
paralysed for fourth consecutive day even as ongoing agitation in
Kashmir valley, which showed no signs of ending, entered 10th week.
While curfew remained in force in five towns including Srinagar,
severe restrictions were imposed on movement of the people in the
rest of Kashmir.
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August 15: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militants and an Army trooper were killed while an Army Major was
injured along with a Special Police Officer (SPO) and a civilian
in an encounter at Sheru forests in the Saran Wali area, about four
kilometres atop Shahdara Sharief, of Rajouri District. One or two
other militants, including Abu Zarar alias Doctor, continued to
fight till the reports last came in. The slain militants were from
a fresh infiltrated group, who were being searched by the Army and
Police since an attack on Army and passenger vehicles at Begu Narha
in Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri District on August 11 in which two
civilians were killed and 20 others were injured.
Bodies of the two militants killed
in the operation were recovered from the forests. An intercept revealed
their identity as Sajid Kashmiri and Abu Qamran. Sajid Kashmiri
was believed to be a local while Qamran appeared to be a Pakistani.
Though, exact identity of both slain militants is yet to be ascertained,
sources confirmed that they were part of the LeT outfit which had
attacked Army vehicles on August 11. The Security Forces (SFs) recovered
two AK rifles along with a large quantity of ammunition and explosive
material from the encounter site.
Separately, one person was killed
by militants at Sopore in Baramulla District in the night of August
14. Militants picked up Abdul Rehman Check, resident of Check Mohalla
at Dangerpora Sopore, from his home and later killed him, Police
said.
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August 14: A militant was killed
in an encounter with the SFs in the Kupwara District. The gun battle
broke out in Rajwar forest when militants hiding in the forests
opened fire on the search party of Army, the defence spokesman said
on August 15. He said one militant, who is yet to be identified,
was killed in the operation, which was going on when reports last
came in.
Meanwhile, troops on August 15 recovered
a consignment of explosives and ammunition from village Larkoti
in Kandi Koteranka area of Rajouri District. The recoveries included
an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing 18 to 20 kilograms,
162 rounds of AK, two UBGL grenades, four PIKA ammunition, two AK
magazines, one pistol magazine, three sniper rounds, four filled
magazines of AK and one LeT letter head. In addition, one Chinese
pistol with one magazine, 10 rounds of AK, one detonator and a steel
utensil IED with wires were recovered by the troops from village
Chakri in Udhyanpur area of Doda District.
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August 13: Five Pakistan-based "most
dangerous bad guy groups", including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, pose a critical threat
in war-torn Afghanistan, says US special representative for Pakistan
and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke. "Of course, Afghanistan
and Pakistan have always been closely related," US special
representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke told
"Charlie Rose" on Public Broadcasting services (PBS).
"From the day Pakistan became independent they've had a bad
relationship." "And now we're in a situation where the
sanctuary for the Taliban in Pakistan poses the most serious of
all hurdles to our objectives in Afghanistan, and also endangers
our national security," he said. While the main US enemy is
al-Qaida lurking "across the border in the tribal areas of
Pakistan," Holbrooke said "there are about five of our
most dangerous bad guy groups all grouped in this area in Pakistan
where the floods are going on now." Besides al-Qaida, he identified
the bad boys as Afghan Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),
the infamous Haqqani group and LeT, "a group that the Americans
don't pay any attention to...but the Indians sure pay attention
because it is the LeT who attacked Mumbai in December of 2008."
"All based in Pakistan and they're all based in an area roughly
the size of California in the tribal areas," Holbrooke said
stressing the need "to retain the residual capability to strike
at these groups while we build up the Afghanistan security forces"
as the US draws down in Afghanistan.
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August 12: The Gujarat High Court
(HC) transferred the probe in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case to
the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court
to probe Godhra riots cases. Ishrat, a girl from Mumbra, Javed Shaikh
alias Pranesh Pillai from Pune, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar
from Pakistan were killed in an encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad
on June 15, 2004. The City Crime Branch that carried out the operation
claimed that all four were members of a suicide squad of the Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) out to kill Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The HC has also
made it clear that SIT would not take any assistance from Gujarat
officers, who are involved directly or indirectly with the encounter.
In handing over the probe to SIT, the court has observed this would
impart confidence and credibility to the investigation.
Three heavily armed militants were
shot dead in an encounter with the Army in the forest area of Bandipora
District. Acting on specific information about the presence of militants
in Weewan forests at Chattar Behak, Army launched a search operation
in the area late in night of August 11, official sources said. The
encounter began soon after contact with the militants was established.
Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel J. S. Brar confirmed the killing
of militants but said further details about the operation were awaited.
"In an operation in the dense Bandipora forests, our troops
have killed three terrorists and recovered three AK rifles, 15 magazines
and 480 rounds of ammunition besides other war like stores,"
Brar said. They said identification of the militants would take
some time but they were believed to be affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT), which has a strong presence in the area.
Separately, Army gunned down an
infiltrator and injured another before they could reach close to
the fence to cross over to this side from forward area of Kas Kancha
near Peer Badesar in Rajouri District. One of the intruders, believed
to be a Pakistani cadre of LeT, was killed on the incident site
while his accomplice who was injured managed to escape back to launching
pad near Pakistan Army post opposite Kas Kancha. Troops later recovered
the dead body of the slain militant along with one rifle with magazines
and rounds. Army recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from Sopore
area in Baramulla District. The recoveries included three AK rifles,
five pistols with silencers, one Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher,
two Under Barrel Grenade Launchers, 19 improvised explosive devices
(IEDs), 30 kilograms of explosives, 11 grenades, two radio sets
and a large quantity of stores.
Further, the SFs continued a massive
hunt for fresh infiltrated group of 10 militants in different parts
of Rajouri District for second day. In addition, inputs revealed
that some more launching pads have been activated by the Pakistan
Army and militants in Poonch District in an attempt to push militants
into this side from the LoC taking cover of thick fog. Hectic activity
is being observed in launching pads set up by Pakistan Army for
the militants opposite Balnoi, Mandi and Sabjian, where 40 to 60
militants of LeT and HM outfits have been camping awaiting an opportunity
to sneak into this side.
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August 12: External Affairs Minister
S.M. Krishna said that India was willing to hold a sustained dialogue
with Pakistan, provided the latter's soil was not used for attacks
on India. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian
Parliament) the External Affairs Minister said, "If there is
goodwill from Pakistan and if there is an assurance that their soil
is not going to be directed by terrorist instrumentalities to attack
India or to foment anti-India feelings, then India would certainly
be willing for a sustained dialogue with Pakistan," Referring
to the role of the Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (JuD) ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed in
the Mumbai attack, Mr. Krishna said, "We consider that he was
the mastermind of the Mumbai attack. But unfortunately, Pakistan
becomes subjective whenever we take the name of Hafiz Saeed and
others into these discussions. So, we certainly would like Pakistan
to be helpful, to be cooperative with India, so that we can live
in peace with each other."
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August 11: Pakistan said it is ready
to take action against Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD) ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed
but added India should give "concrete evidence" that stands
"legal scrutiny" and holds him responsible for the Mumbai
attacks. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi insisted
that his country was committed to bringing the perpetrators of 26/11
to justice but could not give any specific time-frame for conclusion
of the trial in the case as the judiciary is independent. India
has maintained that it has provided ample evidence about Saeed''s
role in the Mumbai attacks and Pakistan should follow it up and
initiate legal proceedings against the JuD chief. He termed as "preposterous"
any "suggestion that there is some sort of nexus" between
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Mumbai attacks, rubbishing
the contention by Pakistani-American Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative
David Headley in this regard.
A group three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militants ambushed Commanding Officer (CO) of Rashtriya Rifles (48th
Battalion) and his escort at Begu Narha near Thanna Mandi in Rajouri
District killing two civilians, one of them a woman, and injuring
20 others, including driver and Personal Security Officer of the
CO, reported Daily Excelsior. The civilians were killed as a passenger
bus was also caught in the firing. The CO had a narrow escape in
the ambush at 8.45am. The ambush was followed by a heavy exchange
of firing between Army, Police and militants for a couple of hours
but all three militants were reported to have escaped. Three LeT
militants had set off from village Azmatabad in the morning and
laid an ambush very close to Bafliaz-Thanna Mandi road at Begu Narha
with a pre-determined view to target Security Forces and passenger
vehicles to cause casualties on the eve of Independence Day (August
15), sources said.
Meanwhile, Police officials confirmed
that two groups of 10 militants have managed to enter Rajouri District
during past few days. While a group of five militants had sneaked
into from Nowshera sector and took Kandi route to reach Darhal,
another group of five militants, including three militants, who
were involved in the ambush, had entered from Poonch sector. "We
narrowly missed the group of five militants in Darhal yesterday
[August 10] but Army and Police have laid several cordons to trap
them. Of five militants, two were locals—Abdul Razzaq and Shabir
Munshi while three other were Pakistanis. Of five militants, who
have entered Rajouri from Poonch, four were foreign mercenaries
and one local’’, sources added.
Separately, Army and Police shot
dead a LeT militant, identified as Bashir Ahmed Bhat, in an encounter
at Keshwan Top in Kishtwar District. One PIKA gun with magazines
and rounds were recovered from the slain militant, who was a close
associate of LeT ‘commander’ Hameed alias Salman Gujjar.
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August 10: militants carried out
two attacks on Security Forces in the Sopre town of Baramulla District
but there was no loss of life reported in these attacks. The militants
fired indiscriminately on State Bank of India building in Sopore
town where a Company of CRPF (179th Battalion) is on guard. They
also fired on the Police Station Sopore half an hour later. As reported
earlier, three Policemen were shot dead by the militants in Sopre
town on August 10. Talking about the incident on August 11, Director
General of Police Kuldeep Khoda said the LeT is believed to be involved
in the Sopore attack. "The militants have started consolidating
their ranks in north Kashmir after LeT ‘commander’ Abdullah Yuni's
arrival this year [2010]. The ‘commander’ has regrouped the demoralised
militants in the last two months.”
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August 6: A Police Constable was
killed while three top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were trapped
in a fierce exchange of gun-battle at village Sangiot between Manjakote
and Jharan Wali Gali (JWG) in Mendhar area of Poonch District. A
heavy exchange of firing that started in the morning between militants
and the Security Force (SF) personnel continued till late in the
evening. Official sources said a LeT ‘district commander’ Abu Akasha
along with his two associates had taken shelter in a big house owned
by two brothers at Sangiot after shifting to plains from Pir Panjal
range in view of adverse weather including heavy rains and storm.
The militants group is reported to have shifted to Sangiot only
three days back. Sources said a group of local people, who had been
observing mysterious movement of militants in the house at village
Chiti Bhati in Sangiot area, informed the SFs.
Earlier, in the night of August
5, an Army trooper was killed while an officer was injured when
militants opened firing on a patrol party at Zaloora in the Sopore
area of Baramulla District. Heavily armed militants opened fire
resulting in injuries to two Army personnel including trooper Mursaleen
Khan, who died later, and Captain Prakash Hanumant. The Army troopers
returned the firing towards the militant positions but the militants
managed to escape from the incident site taking the cover of darkness.
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August 5: The U.S. State Department's
annual “Country Reports on Terrorism for the year 2009 said that
Pakistan's lacklustre approach to bring to justice the 26/11 perpetrators
has basically frozen Indo-Pak peace talks, which also warned that
the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) remained a serious threat to Western interests.
“In response to allegations of involvement by LeT in the Mumbai
attacks, Pakistani officials cracked down on an LeT camp in Muzaffarabad
and arrested or detained more than 50 LeT or Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD)
leaders in Punjab and elsewhere in Pakistan, but it subsequently
released many of them. LeT remained a serious threat to Western
interests.” “Pakistani officials pledged to prosecute all individuals
in Pakistan found to be involved in the Mumbai attacks and offered
to share intelligence regarding the attacks with the Government
of India. At year's end, however, peace talks between Pakistan and
India remained frozen amid Indian allegations that Pakistan was
not doing enough to bring the terrorists to justice.” The State
Department said foreign terrorist organisations, continued to operate
and carry out attacks in Pakistan.
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August 5: Nearly 300 SIM cards of
different Telecom operators were reported to have reached into the
hands of militants in Doda and Kishtwar Districts strengthening
communication network of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) outfits in militancy infested areas. Reports said the ‘commanders’
of two outfits—LeT and HM—were currently in possession of five to
six SIM cards of different companies, or, in some cases, 10 to 12
activated cards while other militants and Over Ground Workers (OGWs)
were having one or two working mobile telephones with them.
-
August 4: Punjab Law Minister Rana
Sanaullah said that they wouldn’t prevent Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD)’s
relief work as it may end up creating goodwill for it. "It’s
a delicate situation and authorities would tread carefully,"
he stated. "It would be impossible to stop anybody, even if
he was associated with a banned organisation in the past from humanitarian
work," he said and added that JuD chief Hafiz Saeed was under
surveillance. The floods in Pakistan, which have left over 1,500
people dead, seem to have provided a new lease of life to JuD and
its latest avatar, Falah-e-Insaniyat, which has pitched in with
relief work. The banned organisation has carried out relief work
in southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with the authorities
looking the other way. It had earlier carried out relief work during
2005 earthquake to galvanise support for ‘jihad’ (holy war) against
India.
-
August 3: A wanted woman militant
of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Shabnam, wife of a recently killed
LeT commander Ishaq Bhat, surfaced in the house of her slain husband
at village Goni in Patnazi area of Kishtwar District and admitted
her links with Bhat for last one and a half year but categorically
refused that she was associated with the outfit.
-
August 2: The verdict of the trial
court awarding the death sentence to Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab,
the lone surviving Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant of the November
26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (also known as 26/11), came up for
confirmation before the Bombay High Court, which adjourned the matter.
The High Court directed the Maharashtra Government and the defence
to file their respective appeals on the sentence of the special
sessions court in the 26/11 case by August 12.
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August 1: Pakistan does not share
Taliban’s ideology and it is working to contain the threat posed
by the group, said Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani
said. Haqqani said “The Pakistani intelligence services are working
effectively to contain all terrorists including Taliban from Afghanistan
and Pakistan.” He brushed aside WikiLeaks reports which suggested
a link between the Pakistani intelligence services and Afghan Taliban.
Haqqani said that the military field reports made online from 2004
to 2009 are “not reflective of what is happening today”. “Over the
last two years Pakistan and the US have entered into a special collaborative
relationship,” he said. In reply to a question about Pakistan going
after Afghan Taliban thought to be hiding in North Waziristan, Haqqani
said the country would not allow any Taliban to gather there. “North
Waziristan is a part of sovereign Pakistan. There is no way we will
let terrorists of any view or persuasion, whether originating from
Pakistan or from other parts of the world or from our neighbouring
countries congregate there,” he said. Responding to a question on
Pakistan’s actions against banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),
Haqqani said the individuals allegedly responsible for the November
2008 Mumbai attacks were all under arrest. Pakistan, he said, has
asked New Delhi to provide it with evidence in the form of allowing
Indian officials, who have knowledge of this crime, to travel to
Pakistan and give evidence in courts here. Haqqani said, “Our military
leadership, our intelligence leadership and our civilian leadership
are all on the same page.”
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July 31: Pakistan Army again resorted
to cease-fire violation and tried to push infiltrators into Indian
Territory from the Line of Control (LoC) in forward area of Balnoi
in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch District, according to Daily Excelsior.
Pakistan troops started firing on Indian positions near Chajla Man
Post in Balnoi area of Krishna Ghati sector at 6.30am. Under the
cover of firing, the Pakistan side also tried to push a group of
five to six militants into this side of the LoC, official sources
said. Troops, who were maintaining a high alert on the LoC, opened
firing to neutralize the militant group trying to intrude into this
side. Firing continued till 7.30am, sources said, adding, the infiltration
bid by the militants was foiled with effective retaliatory firing
brought down by the troops. The militants, believed to be the cadre
of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who had come very close to the LoC to
force their entry into this side taking advantage of covering fire
of the Pakistan Army, were pushed back due to timely action by the
troops. Sources said movement of five to six militants was observed
from this side near Pakistan Army’s posts of Chuha and Dakku opposite
Balnoi area of Krishna Ghati sector. Following firing from across
the LoC, the militants had moved very close to LoC, they said, adding
the firing from this side was aimed at ensuring that the militants
didn’t manage to come close to LoC.
-
July 29: Underlining the need to
remain engaged with Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
his British counterpart, David Cameron, called on Islamabad to be
indiscriminate in cracking down on terror groups operating from
its soil. "We believe that Pakistan should be as serious in
paying attention to terror on its western borders as on the eastern
borders. I sincerely hope the world community would use its good
offices to promote this," Singh said at a joint press conference
with Cameron here. "It is not acceptable, as I have said, for
there to be within Pakistan existence of terror groups that cause
terrorism within Pakistan, outside Pakistan, in Afghanistan, India
and elsewhere in the world," added Cameron. At the same time,
Pakistan should be encouraged to take steps to see that terror was
reduced. "We want to work with Pakistan to make it fight the
LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba] and Afghan or Pakistan Taliban. The Pakistan
Government has taken steps and it needs to take further steps to
reduce terrorism in Afghanistan, India and the streets of London.
I think the right thing is to have discussion with Pakistan frankly,
clearly and openly. Next week, I will have discussions with the
President of Pakistan, he said.
Making the same point, Manmohan
Singh hoped that Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
would accept the invitation to visit India later this year so that
"sooner or later" the dialogue was restored to the "proper
sense of purpose."
David Headley’s revelation that
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) planned the Mumbai attacks with possible help
from the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) is a ‘ticking time-bomb’
that could wreck the US-Pakistan relationship and take the subcontinent
to disaster, a former CIA official Bruce Riedel has warned. Riedel
said Pakistan should carry out a ‘thorough house cleaning’ of its
military.
Security Forces arrested six Over
Ground Workers (OGWs) of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) from Zainapora
town in Shopian in the night of July 27, recovering explosives and
ammunition from their possession, reports Daily Excelsior. The arrested
OGWs were identified as Mohammad Yasin Bhat, Rafiq Ahmad Bhat, Mushtaq
Ahmad Sheikh (all residents of Zainapora), Mohammad Rafiq alias
Moulvi of Chakoora-Pulwama, Imtiyaz Ahmad Malla of Arwani-Bijbehara
and Aijaz Ahmad Pala of Yaripora-Kulgam. Four hand grenades, one
Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), two shells of UBGL and 42
rounds of AK rifle were recovered from the possession of arrested
persons.
Meanwhile, restrictions were imposed
on the movement of people in parts of Srinagar and Budgam Districts
in the wake of demonstrations planned by separatists across the
Kashmir Valley on July 28, reports Times of India. Normalcy had
returned to the Valley on July 27 as the separatists allowed a break
in their week-long shutdown programme in view of the Muslim festival
of Shab-e-Barat.
-
July 28: The Centre said it was
aware that anti-India elements, who are based in Pakistan, are provoking
the people of Jammu and Kashmir with the support of certain sections
of secessionist groups in the State. Union Minister of State for
Home Affairs Ajay Maken informed the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of
Parliament) that these anti-India elements were inciting people
on various pretexts to arouse public sentiments. "The statements
of All Party Hurriyat Conference (Abbas) and All Party Hurriyat
Conference (Geelani) in the media and LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba] across
the border in this regard are documented," he said. Maken said
though the average annual quantum of arms and ammunition and funds
coming to the State cannot be quantified, INR 76, 84,600 in cash
and INR 50,000 in cheques were seized in 2009, which was being carried
through hawala channels, and cases have been registered. He also
informed that 668 AK-47 and 56 rifles, PIKA guns, sniper rifles
etc, 1,142 magazines, 59,333 ammunitions including RPG ammunition
etc., explosive material including RDX, INR 56,15,071, Pakistani
currency, fake currency and remote control panels etc. were recovered
from militants during 2009.
-
July 27: Admiral Mike Mullen, the
US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said that the information in
leaked documents on the war in Afghanistan did not call into question
the US strategy or Washington’s relationship with Pakistan. He,
however, added that Washington remained concerned about Pakistani
intelligence service’s alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and the Haqqani network. Mullen said “any links which exist with
terrorist organisations, whether it’s Haqqani or LeT, are completely
unacceptable”. “I am appalled at the release. I feel very strongly
that we need to make sure to do all we can that leaks like this
don’t occur,” he said.
In the wake of India''s assertion
that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was involved in the 26/11
Mumbai attacks, the US administration has said that it was investigating
the matter to find out whether Pakistan's ISI played a role in the
26/11 terror strikes, reports Indian Express. "We are very
much engaged in this question," a senior Administration official
told PTI, when asked about the statements made by Union Home Secretary
G.K. Pillai and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon that
ISI had played a role in planning and execution of the Mumbai terror
attacks. The official, who requested anonymity, said that the matter
was under investigation and he would not like to comment till the
probe was over. The revelation about ISI role in 26/11 had not
only come from the interrogation of Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) operative David Headley, but also through India's own investigation
which had been shared with the US officials. Pakistan, for its part,
has strongly denied that ISI had any role.
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July 27: SFs arrested six Over Ground
Workers (OGWs) of the LeT from Zainapora town in Shopian, recovering
explosives and ammunition from their possession, reports Daily Excelsior.
The arrested OGWs were identified as Mohammad Yasin Bhat, Rafiq
Ahmad Bhat, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh (all residents of Zainapora), Mohammad
Rafiq alias Moulvi of Chakoora-Pulwama, Imtiyaz Ahmad Malla of Arwani-Bijbehara
and Aijaz Ahmad Pala of Yaripora-Kulgam. Four hand grenades, one
Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), two shells of UBGL and 42
rounds of AK rifle were recovered from the possession of arrested
persons.
-
July 26: Spokesperson for the Jama’at-ud-Da’awa
(JuD) Attiq Chohan has said that his organisation was no more banned
as the Lahore High Court had cleared it of the charges in a detailed
verdict last year. Producing copies of the verdict of the LHC to
The News, Attiq Chohan said that a section of the media was constantly
mentioning the Jamaat-ud-Dawa as a banned organisation. He reminded
that the office-bearers of the organisation had moved the court
against the ban and the judges later gave a decree in its favour.
“We are no more banned organisation. We are neither a terrorist
organisation nor do we support it as Islam does not allow terrorism,”
said Attiq Chohan.
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July 26: Rehman Malik said that
Pakistan had lodged protest with the Afghanistan Government about
the presence of key leaders of terrorists in Afghanistan’s Nuristan
province allegedly involved in planning and carrying out terrorist
activities in Pakistan. “We have strongly protested with the Afghanistan
Government and asked it to stop the supply of arms and ammunitions
to Nuristani terrorists and seal the border,” said Rehman Malik
while talking to reporters after offering condolences for the Mian
Rashid Hussain, son of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian
Iftikhar Hussain. To a question, Rehman Malik said Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and other extremist outfits
had already been banned by the Government and it would not take
dictation from others for taking actions against the activists of
these groups.
-
July 24: A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militant, involved in shooting a youth in Panzla area of Baramulla
District on July 16, allegedly committed suicide inside Police.
Tariq Ahmad Dar alias Jaffar was found hanging from the ceiling
of his cell in Panzla Police Station in the morning of July 25,
the officials said.
-
July 23: The Army along with Police
destroyed a hide-out of the militants during a joint search operation
at village Lashkerwan in Khari area of Banihal in Ramban District
and recovered a large quantity of explosive devices, which had reportedly
been dumped by the LeT to target Amarnath pilgrims on the National
Highway near Banihal.
-
July 21-22: Two militants were killed
in a gun battle with the Security Forces in the Kupwara District,
defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel A. S. Brar said. The encounter
broke out between militants, hiding in Rajwar forest in Handwara,
and SFs in the night of July 21, Brar added. The gun battle was
going on when reports came in last. Meanwhile, the HuM militant
killed in the encounter with the SFs in Sopore town of Baramulla
District has been identified as self-styled ‘divisional commander’
Nouman. He was a Pakistani national and involved in an attack on
Lal Chowk in Srinagar in February 2010. "During ensuing encounter,
one foreign militant namely Noman alias Mooch Wala alias
Mike Islam and a local militant namely Arif alias Bitta, resident
of Adipora Sopore were eliminated,'' a Police official was quoted
as saying by the Daily Excelsior. As reported earlier, one militant
each of the LeT and HuM were believed to be killed in a gun battle
with the SFs at Parray-Mohalla in the Hygam area of Sopore town
in the Baramulla District on July 20. An Army trooper was also killed
in the incident.
-
July 20: The National Investigation
Agency (NIA), seeking in a Delhi court Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW)
against Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) head of operations Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi and four other Pakistani
citizens, said its case was based on a “larger conspiracy” against
India. The NIA counsel Dayan Krishnan said the agency's investigation
was “separate” and it had evidence to show that the duo was part
of a larger conspiracy against the country and that the 26/11 terror
attack was just one part of it.
-
July 20: One militant each of the
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) were believed
to be killed in a gun battle with the Security Forces (SFs) at Parray-Mohalla
in the Hygam area of Sopore town in the Baramulla District. An Army
trooper was also killed in the incident. Police recovered 13 SIM
cards of different Telcos from the possession of four LeT militants
in Kishtwar District.
-
July 19: A self styled ‘divisional
commander’ of the LeT, identified as Ajmal Shah alias Abu
Zarr, was killed during an overnight encounter with SFs at Garoora
in the Aragam area of Bandipora District. One AK-47 rifle, four
magazines, one pouch, three grenades, three mobile batteries, one
lighter, nine transistor batteries, one mobile phone, two chargers
and one radio set were recovered from the site of encounter. Official
sources said Zarr, believed to be a Pakistani national, was second
in command of LeT’s Kashmir chief Abdullah Yuni. Zarr was the highest
‘ranking’ LeT militant in North Kashmir as there were several reports
earlier this year that Abdullah Yuni has managed to slip back into
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after completing his designated
"tenure" of operations in the Valley.
-
July 18: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militants, including ‘area commander’ Mohmmad Shafi Pathan, active
in militancy for the last 20 years, were arrested from Patnazi during
search and cordon operation in Kishtwar for the past two days.
Meanwhile, wife of the slain LeT
‘district commander’ Isaq Bhat alias Hamza alias Ateeq (killed on
July 14), Shabnam (28), has turned out to be a top militant of the
outfit involved in many subversive activities. Recently, Police
had launched a drive to win back the women involved in militancy
and working as Over Ground Workers (OGWs) in Doda District. The
secret drive launched with the help of elderly citizens including
former Panchayat (village level local self Government institution)
members have resulted into at least 16 women returning to mainstream
giving up the "society of militants" for whom they were
working as OGWs by transporting their weapons, providing them food
and giving them information about the movement of SFs.
-
July 16: The Police arrested a top
militant of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), been identified as Nazir
Ahmed Gorsi alias Saqib, during a search operation from Uttrain
forests at Patnazi in the Bunjwah areas of Kishtwar District. The
militant was active since April 2009 in Patnazi, Bunjwah and surrounding
belt of Kishtwar. Gorsi was a ‘B’ category militant involved in
a number of subversive activities and was a close associate of slain
LeT ‘district commander’ Ishaq alias Hamza alias Ateeq. On his questioning,
Police neutralized a hide-out of the militants in the Uttrain forests
and recovered one .303 rifle with one magazine and 14 rounds, five
blankets, a large quantity of eatables including 2.5 quintals flour,
LPG cylinders and utensils.
-
July 15: Days after seeking issuance
of Non Bailable Warrants (NBW) against David Coleman Headley and
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, involved in 26/11 attacks, the National Investigation
Agency (NIA) withdrew its application realising its mistake that
the agency should not have had requested the court for their NBW
in the first place as both of them are already in judicial custody
in United Sates (US) with which India has an extradition treaty.
The NIA had last week approached the court seeking NBWs for Headley,
Rana and six Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad
Saeed. The agency, however, told the court on July 15 that it is
still pursuing the issuance of NBWs against six other LeT members
who are in Pakistan with which India does not have an extradition
treaty.
Besides Headley and Rana, now in
the custody of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US,
the NIA had made Lakhvi, Saeed, Major Iqbal, Major Sameer Ali, Sajid
Mir and Abdul Rehman accused in its First Information Report filed
on November 11, 2009. They have been booked under various provisions
of the IPC, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and SAARC Convention
(Suppression of Terrorism) Act, dealing with waging war against
the Government of India, conspiracy and procuring arms and ammunition.
-
July 14: A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
‘district commander’, Mohammad Isaq Bhatt alias Hamza alias Ateeq,
was shot dead by Army and Police in an encounter at Bunjwah in the
Kither forests of Kishtwar District. Police continued searches in
Bunjwah following reports that an associate of Bhatt had managed
to escape during the encounter. Recoveries made from the slain militant
include one AK-47 rifle with magazines and ammunition. Bhatt, an
‘A’ category militant, was presently operating in Kither, Patnazi,
Gandoh and Bhalesa areas of Doda and Kishtwar Districts.
-
July 13: An Army Major was killed
and six other Army personnel, including a Colonel, were injured
in an encounter with suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants in
the Mandhar sector of Poonch District. Major Amit Phunge was killed
in the operation while Colonel Ajay Katoch of the Rashtriya Rifles
(47th Battalion) was injured when the militants resorted to heavy
fire and lobbed grenades, official sources said. The Army team had
gone to the spot following information that 15 Pakistan-based militants
had sneaked in. The Army cordoned off the area and launched a search
operation. Two militants were believed to be killed in the encounter
at Beri Rakh forests.
-
July 11: The Security Forces (SFs)
shot dead two top ‘commanders’ of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) including
a foreign mercenary in two successful operations in Keshwan area
of Kishtwar District and Kalakote areas of Rajouri District on July
11, according to Daily Excelsior. Operations at both the places
were going on with a group of at least seven more LeT militants
including a couple of foreigners being searched in Keshwan while
at least one or two militants managed to escape from Kalakote gun-battle.
The militants were spotted which led to a heavy exchange of gun-battle
between the two sides. In the initial round of cross-firing, one
militant of the LeT outfit was killed in the evening. Other militants
escaped deep into the forest area and were being chased. Of seven
militants at large, at least two were foreign mercenaries while
five other were locals of Kishtwar and Doda Districts. The slain
militant was identified as Imtiyaz Hussain son of Ghulam Mohammad
Rather, a resident of Koti Basti of Doda. One AK rifle, two magazines,
38 rounds, three grenades, a radio set and some other items were
so far recovered from the encounter site. Sources said the group
of eight militants was holding a meeting in Keshwan forests to devise
a fresh strategy of recruitment of new youth into militancy and
give a spurt to militant activities not only in Kishtwar but neighbouring
Doda District. They also planned to target Amarnath yatra (Hindu
pilgrimage) either on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway or at the
base camp of Jammu.
A top LeT ‘commander’, identified
as Abdul Hafeez alias Nomaan, was killed while others managed
to escape in an encounter between SFs and militants in Sarwan forest
belt of Kishtwar District.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants
in Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir have threatened to target
mobile towers of all telecom operators prompting Police to act immediately
to secure them especially in hilly and sensitive areas of the District
as they are frustrated by frequent intercepts of their mobile telephone
conversation by security agencies and Police. The latest threat
of the LeT outfit comes close on the heels of reports that a top
militant commander Abdul Qayoom was gunned down by Security Forces
and police in an encounter at Marmat in June, 2010, after his mobile
phone conversation with his wife Asma was intercepted and his location
detected.
-
July 9: Three SF personnel were
injured in separate militant attacks in Sopore town of Baramulla
District. Militants lobbed a grenade and opened indiscriminate firing
on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicles near Chanakhan at
around 2.00 am, official sources said. A CRPF trooper was injured
in the attack. Police sources believe that the militants were aligned
to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), adds The Hindu.
The SFs recovered a huge dump of
explosives weighing 176 kilograms from a LeT hideout unearthed in
Kishtwar District. Acting on a tip-off, troops launched a search
operation in Chatroo and neutralised the LeT hideout. The troops
later recovered 176 kilograms of explosives, which included 75 kilograms
of explosive material packed in two bags, six improvised explosive
devices (IEDs) weighing 15 kilograms each (90 kilograms of explosives),
75 gelatine sticks, 23 grenades, 12 bore rifles and various other
materials. This is the biggest cache of explosives recovered in
the State in 2010, an unnamed Army officer said.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) have shifted some of their cadre to Kulgam and Shopian areas
from Mahore in Reasi District reportedly after getting a SOS from
their ‘commanders’ based in Kashmir Valley. Intelligence reports
said a HM’s ‘district commander’ Hanief Mohammad alias Basharat,
a known motivator of youths into militancy who was operating in
Mahore for past several years, has recently crossed over to Kulgam
along with his couple of associates two to three days back on being
called by his Valley based ‘commanders’. Three LeT militants led
by Abu Qatil have also moved to Kulgam and Shopian areas bordering
Mahore through Pir Panjal range during the past few days along with
arms and ammunition, reports said. Security Forces (SFs) and Police
have intercepted a number of messages of the militants which confirmed
departure of Basharat and Qatil along with their associates from
upper reaches of Mahore to surrounding Kashmir areas of Kulgam and
Shopian. Due to their migration, the activities of remaining cadre
of LeT and HM outfits have virtually come to a standstill despite
the fact that 14 militants, including four to five foreign mercenaries
were still active in Mahore, Arnas and Chasana areas.
Reports added that there could be
some other reasons also behind migration of the militants from Mahore
to Kulgam and Shopian though the apparent cause at this stage appeared
to be latest upsurge in Kashmir which the LeT and HM outfits are
trying to exploit to the best possible extent. Mounting pressure
of Army and police against the militants especially their leadership
in Mahore might have also forced the militants to take refuge in
some "safe shelter houses’’ in Kulgam, Shopian and surrounding
areas for the time being.
Recent incidents of inter-group
rivalry among the LeT and HM cadre in Mahore in which some militants
have been killed could also be a reason for some militants shifting
to Kashmir to get the differences sorted out with the help of their
‘commanders’, reports added further. Few days back, Security Forces
and Police had recovered skeleton of a militant in Mahore which
was later identified as that of Zubair Gujjar, a LeT militant, who
had been shot dead by Irfan Kashmiri, a HM ‘area commander’. Investigations
had revealed that Zubair was killed by Irfan Kashmiri to take the
revenge of his colleague Abu Talha, a HM militant from Kashmir operating
in Mahore-Gool-Gulabgarh belt for past several years. Reports said
Hanief alias Basharat, a HM ‘commander’ and Abu Qatil, a LeT militant
might have been called by their group leaders for a truce between
the two outfits before they suffer more losses.
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July 6: The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD)
chief Hafiz Saeed has declared suicide attacks in Pakistan 'haram'
(prohibited). Speaking in an interview, he said suicide attacks
had no moral grounds, and elements behind such attacks should be
publicly executed. “Some foreign elements are trying to create religious
discord in the country,” Saeed said. He said that Pakistan had been
forced to become a frontline state in the war against terrorism.
Hafiz Saeed blamed India for the Data Darbar attacks and challenged
Indian authorities to prove that the JuD was involved in the Mumbai
attacks. The JuD chief also said that Pakistan should hold talks
with the Taliban. “If the US can negotiate with the Taliban, why
can Pakistan not do the same,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani authorities
said no fresh order has been issued to ban militant groups working
under new names or to impose curbs on foreign travel by individuals
like the JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, though action will be taken only
if evidence is found against them. Responding to local media reports
that 23 militant groups operating under new names have been banned,
Law Minister of Punjab province Rana Sanaullah, Lahore Police chief
Muhammad Aslam Tareen and sources in Islamabad said no notification
has been issued with regard to the outlawed organisations or individuals
like Saeed. “The Punjab government has not issued any new notification
banning any proscribed organisation that is working under a new
name. They are already banned,” Sanaullah said. Authorities in Punjab
were “planning to crack down on militants if they are related to
any banned organisation,” he said.
-
July 5: The arrested Pakistani American
LeT operative David Coleman Headley has said that Ishrat Jahan,
who was killed along with three alleged terrorists in 2004 in a
Police encounter, was indeed a LeT fidayeen (suicide bomber). Sources
said Headley told interrogators from the National Investigation
Agency that Ishrat, a resident of Mumbra in Thane (Maharashtra),
was recruited by top LeT ‘commander’ Muzammil who was in-charge
of LeT''s operations in India till 2007. The LeT had owned up Ishrat
immediately after the encounter, with its Lahore-based mouthpiece
Ghazwa Times describing her as a LeT activist and taking umbrage
at the action of Indian Police in removing her veil. In 2007, however,
LeT, in its fresh incarnation as Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), disowned
her, by issuing an apology to Ishrat''s family for calling her a
LeT cadre.
Ishrat and Javed were killed along
with two Pakistani nationals Amjad Ali and Jishan Johar Abdul Ghani
both alleged LeT terrorists, on June 15, 2004. According to the
Police version, they were intercepted on the outskirts of Ahmedabad
when they were about to enter the city in a blue Indica on a mission
to eliminate Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
-
July 5: The Punjab Government banned
23 militant organisations operating under new names after having
been outlawed and directed Police to keep a strict vigil on 1,690
office-bearers and workers of the outfits after including them in
Schedule 4. According to the Provincial Home Department, Jamaat-ud-Dawa
(JuD) of Hafiz Saeed has not been restricted like others, but Saeed
and his two associates have been barred from travelling abroad.
Their accounts have been frozen and they will not be able to get
arms licences. Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Jaish-i-Muhammad (JeM),
LeT, Tehrik-i-Jaferia (TIJ), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), Harkatul
Mujahideen (HM), Hizbul Tehrir, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Sipah-i-Muhammad
Pakistan (SMP) had been banned by the Musharraf Government in 2002,
but most of them started their activities with new names. SSP was
renamed as Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan, JeM as Alfurqan and Khuddamul
Islam and TIJ as Islami Tehrik Pakistan and LeT as JuD. Hizbul Tehrir
did not change its name.
-
July 5: The Security Forces (SFs)
arrested an associate of the LeT ‘district commander’ from Bonjwah
area falling under the jurisdiction of Kishtwar Police Station.
The arrestee has been identified as Abdul Latief Bhat alias Hafiz
Latif. From his possession, one mobile phone and three SIM cards
were recovered which he used to furnish information about the movements
of Army, Kishtwar Police and Special Operations Group to LeT ‘district
commander’ Issaf Ahmed Bhat (code Atiq), a resident of Ghoni in
Kishtwar. The spokesman said that Abdul Latief was also providing
shelter and eatables to the LeT militants, particularly ‘district
commander’.
Sources also said that it was only
due to information about the movement of SFs being provided by Abdul
Latief that the SFs were not getting the ‘district commander’ despite
several operations during the past one-month. "The arrest of
Abdul Latief is a great set-back to the outfit and we are sure to
bust all the hide-outs of the commander besides getting information
about the plans of the outfit", they said, adding "the
recovery of four SIM cards from the possession of Abdul Latief clearly
indicates that terrorists continued to have free assess to the SIM
cards of different cellular service providers despite stringent
verification norms".
-
July 5: A section of anti-Awami
League (AL) elements in the SFs in Bangladesh helped ISI to ferry
out the ULFA commander. He is also believed to be in touch with
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) to launch
‘sleeper cells’ in the State.
-
July 4: The arrested Pakistani American
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley has said that
Ishrat Jahan, who was killed along with three alleged terrorists
in 2004 in a Police encounter, was indeed a LeT fidayeen (suicide
bomber). Sources said Headley told interrogators from the National
Investigation Agency that Ishrat, a resident of Mumbra in Thane
(Maharashtra), was recruited by top LeT ‘commander’ Muzammil who
was in-charge of LeT''s operations in India till 2007. The LeT had
owned up Ishrat immediately after the encounter, with its Lahore-based
mouthpiece Ghazwa Times describing her as a LeT activist and taking
umbrage at the action of Indian Police in removing her veil. In
2007, however, LeT, in its fresh incarnation as Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD),
disowned her, by issuing an apology to Ishrat''s family for calling
her a LeT cadre.
Ishrat and Javed were killed along
with two Pakistani nationals Amjad Ali and Jishan Johar Abdul Ghani
both alleged LeT terrorists, on June 15, 2004. According to the
Police version, they were intercepted on the outskirts of Ahmedabad
when they were about to enter the city in a blue Indica on a mission
to eliminate Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
-
July 4: The Punjab Home Department
has decided to launch a crackdown on 17 banned outfits in the province
and formed task forces at the district level to oversee the operations.
Each task force will consist of CID, Special Branch and Anti-Terrorist
Squad officials, while the District Police Officer would supervise
the force and report to the Punjab Home Department. Task force officials
have been directed to stay in touch with intelligence officials
in the districts in order to exchange information regarding the
banned outfits. The task forces will crackdown on secret hideouts
of these outfits and apprehend their members. They will also trace
out financing sources of the organisations. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ),
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), LeT, Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), Sipah-e-Muhammad
Pakistan (SMP), Tehreek-e-Jafariya Pakistan (TJP), Tehreek Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi
(TNSM), Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan (erstwhile SSP), Khudamul Islam,
Islami Tehreek Pakistan, Hizabut Tehreer, Jamiatul Insar, Jamiatul
Furqan, Kherun Nas International Trust, Islamic Student Movement,
Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Jama''at-ud-Da''awa (JuD)
are the outfits that will be targeted by the task forces.
-
July 3: The Commonwealth Games face
a threat from Pakistan-based terror group LeT and other militant
outfits, which, according to a US think-tank, may be planning an
attack during the event. Vice-President of Tactical Intelligence,
STRATFOR, Scott Stewart replied in affirmative when asked whether
the sporting event scheduled in October faces any terror threat.
"Yes. Two days after the February 13, 2010 blast in Pune, Ilyas
Kashmiri (wanted al-Qaeda terrorist) threatened the Field Hockey
World Cup, the Indian Premier League cricket competition and the
Commonwealth Games," Stewart said in an interview. In support
of his claims, the STRATFOR analyst quoted a warning of "continue
attacks all across India until the Indian Army leaves Kashmir"
posted by Kashmiri via the Asia Times Online on February 13, 2010.
He, however, added, "Again, we would not expect to hear a threat
from a group that was planning an attack, especially the closer
we edge to the event they want to attack. They would be very quiet.
Publicised threat statements made by militants are not a reliable
way to judge the true threat to an event," said the STRATFOR
analyst.
-
July 2: The LeT, which so far had
focused primarily on India, is having global aspirations and has
spread its tentacles beyond Pakistan and Afghanistan, as manifested
by the David Headley case, said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Generally, LeT was east, focused
on India. They're now in the west. Actually, they're not just in
the west, focused on Pakistan. There are LeT elements focused on
Afghanistan. We've seen in our own country, recently — with Detroit,
with Times Square, with Headley, with Zazi — we've seen an increasing
level of distributed threats, if you will, and an ability to expand
this federated approach which al-Qaeda has had. And al-Qaeda is
at the centre of this and al-Qaida leadership resides in Pakistan,"
he added. Mullen said he has been raising this concern of his with
Pakistan in every meeting he has with their leaders. "If I
go back even a couple years, when I first started going to Pakistan
on a regular basis, it's an area that I've raised with the military
leadership there from day one," he noted.
-
July 1: The US said that LeT, which
so far had focused primarily on India, is having global aspirations
and has spread its tentacles beyond Pakistan and Afghanistan, as
manifested by the David Headley case. "Generally, LeT was east,
focused on India. They're now in the west. Actually, they're not
just in the west, focused on Pakistan. There are LeT elements focused
on Afghanistan," Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff has said. "We've seen in our own country, recently
with Detroit, with Times Square, with Headley, with Zazi we've seen
an increasing level of distributed threats, if you will, and an
ability to expand this federated approach which al-Qaeda has had.
And al-Qaida is at the centre of this and al-Qaida leadership resides
in Pakistan.
-
June 30: India blamed the LeT for
stoking unrest in the Kashmir Valley, adding to the role of Pakistan-backed
militant groups that have been largely linked to infiltration across
the Line of Control (LoC). The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
said, "Anti-national elements are clearly linked to the LeT.
We know that the Lashkar has been active in Sopore." He pointed
to an encounter on June 25 where two LeT militants were killed.
Since June 11, eleven civilians have lost their lives. In the same
period, 53 Central Reserve Police Force personnel have been injured,
many of them seriously.
Government sources said that the
latest strategy of the Pakistan's external intelligence agency,
Inter Services Intelligence, and the LeT is to combine renewed infiltration
attempts by heavily-armed militants with the unleashing of civil
unrest to ensure Kashmir remains in a state of chaos.
-
June 29: Government officials said
that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had handed over a list of
seven LeT operatives and handlers, involved in 26/11, against whom
no action had been taken so far to Pakistan. Chidambaram is also
understood to have handed over the description of people as shared
by David Coleman Headley, LeT operative in the US. The Home Minister
particularly mentioned seven people against whom no action has been
taken by Islamabad despite sufficient evidences being provided at
his one-to-one meeting with Interior Minister Rehman Malik. The
seven operatives are identified as Sajjid Mir, Abdul Rehman, Pasha,
Brigadier Riyaz, Abu Khafa, Al Kama and Abu Hamza. New Delhi is
hopeful that Islamabad will take some concrete steps before July
15 when External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visits Islamabad.
This was indicated during the interaction of Pakistani officials
with Indian delegation on the sideline of the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Home Ministers' Conference in Islamabad.
-
June 29: Intelligence agencies warned
that Indian missions in Bangladesh and Nepal are under threat from
a possible terror attack from Pakistani terrorist outfits. The alert
suggests the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and the LeT are planning
to attack Indians working on different projects in Bangladesh and
could try and create a hostage like situation. A similar threat
also looms on the Indian mission in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Indian
Government has already spoken to the Sheikh Hasina Government in
Bangladesh and is even mulling use of Indian Security Forces to
guard foreign missions. After the alert from the agencies, sources
said that the threat perception has been communicated to Dhaka already
and India has been assured full assistance. Meanwhile the Government
is contemplating a security review of missions in Bangladesh and
Nepal. Indian forces may be used to man these foreign missions under
threat. “We do not deny any potential threat to our missions abroad.
In this case, the matter has been taken up with the Bangladeshi
Government and has been assured full assistance. The government
of India is also thinking of a security review soon in Bangladesh
and Nepal to decide whether the missions should be manned by Indian
forces in these two locations. Intelligence agencies have communicated
that the threat is from LeT and HuJI,” Government sources said.
-
June 28: Indian intelligence officials
have intercepted phone conversations between LeT 'commanders' that
establishes that the group is planning fresh attacks at landmarks
in at in different cities including Srinagar, Jammu Delhi, Mumbai
and Kolkata. The conversations also discussed a strike against top
politicians.
-
June 28: In a disclosure, November
26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) accused David Coleman Headley told
the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May 2010 that LeT and
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are virtually inseparable as far
as the pan-Islamic terror agenda is concerned. Union Home Minister
P. Chidambaram used the NIA dossier detailing Headley's disclosures
to drive home the point that stringent measures are needed against
terrorist groups operating with impunity from Pakistani soil. The
NIA dossier, which establishes the virtual closing of ranks between
LeT and ISI, clearly indicates that both are acting independently
of the Government and pose a threat to Pakistan's governance. It
took two days of persuasion for Headley to waive his right to silence
under US law and detail every meeting he had with his LeT handlers,
including Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Mir, and ISI officials in Muzzaffarabad
and Lahore before the 26/11 attacks. Sources said that Headley told
the NIA team comprising Loknath Behera, Swayamprakash Pani, Sajid
Shapoo and special prosecutor Dayan Krishnan that his reconnaissance
missions and its results were closely and jointly monitored by LeT
and ISI before he received fresh instructions. The 11th dossier,
which India handed over to Pakistan on June 18, contained every
statement by Headley, who spoke for seven to eight hours every day,
continuously for eight days.
-
June 28: Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh pressed United States President Barack Obama to convince Pakistan
to take strong action against terrorists involved in anti–India
activities in that country following disclosures made by LeT operative
David Headley, reports The Hindu. Briefing reporters about the 30–minute–long
Singh–Obama meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Toronto,
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the two leaders discussed the
situation in the region and they spoke of counter–terrorism cooperation
in Afghanistan to stabilise the situation there.
-
June 28: Interior Minister Rehman
Malik said criminals responsible for carrying out the 26/11 Mumbai
attacks wanted to instigate a war between India and Pakistan, and
Hindu extremists are carrying out terrorist activities in India.
In an interview to an Indian TV channel, he reiterated that Islamabad
took action against LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, however, the judiciary
had declared him innocent. He went on to say that Islamabad had
banned 29 groups including the LeT in an attempt to curb terrorism.
Malik said that prior to his arrest in the US, David Headley was
travelling freely between India and Pakistan and other countries,
and Pakistan wants to know who was patronizing him. Pakistan is
actively searching for the Mumbai carnage mastermind and “we intend
to exchange intelligence information with the CIA [Central Investigation
Agency] and Central Bureau of Investigation],” he added.
-
June 27: Pakistani Foreign minister
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a statement issued in Islamabad has ruled
out barring LeT founder and mastermind of 26/11, Hafiz Saeed, from
giving inflammatory speeches targeting India. "In a democracy,
there is freedom of expression...in Pakistan as in India there are
all sorts of people making all kinds of speeches. There are people
with extremist views in both India and Pakistan....and there is
nothing you can do about it. There are views being expressed in
Pakistan that I can do nothing about," Shah Mehmood Qureshi
said.
-
June 25: The Union Home Minister
P. Chidambaram met his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik and is
understood to have pressed for urgent action against Hafiz Saeed,
chief of the LeT’s over ground organisation Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD)
and 26/11 handlers, including those who are believed to be in the
Pakistani Army. Chidambaram sought voice samples of the Pakistani
handlers and raised issues like infiltration on the border of Jammu
and Kashmir and Pakistanis who have infiltrated and are indulging
in militant activities. Speaking to reporters accompanying him in
the special aircraft, Chidambaram said he will not say anything
that will cast a shadow on the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) Home Ministers’ Meeting, which is primary engagement
in Islamabad. He said he will tell Pakistan “politely, but firmly”
that the time has come to address issues concerning the Mumbai attacks.
“I will use the opportunity to bring home to Pakistan gravity of
issues and the need for response that is appropriate to the gravity
of the situation,” he said. “It has been 18 months since I took
over. The time has come to address these issues (regarding Mumbai
attacks) with seriousness that they warrant. That is what I am going
to tell them politely, but firmly,” Chidambaram said. Meanwhile,Chidambaram
met Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.
Further, hours before his meeting
with Chidambaram, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he
will "satisfy" the Indian leader on the issue of JuD chief
Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks. Malik said "instead
of exchanging dossiers" the two countries should "exchange
hearts". "Hafiz Saeed is an issue. And we will also satisfy
Mr Chidambaram on that. We have no problem in that," Malik
told an Indian television channel, when asked about India's insistence
to discuss about Saeed.
-
June 24: The SFs, on the basis of
specific information generated jointly by Anantnag and Kulgam Police,
neutralised a LeT module by arresting three militants. "When
the raids were being conducted on the house of Liyakat Ali Kuchay
son of Mohammad Sidiq at Kadder Kulgam, militants opened fire towards
police party but no damage was caused. During the search of the
house empty cartridges of 9mm were recovered and a case was registered
at Police Station Yaripora in District Kulgam," a Police spokesman
said. During the course of further investigation, three persons
Abdul Haq Khan, resident of Arwani Anantnag Sajad Ahmad, resident
of Brad Ashmuqam in Anantnag and Liyakat Ali Kuchay, resident of
Kadder in Kulgam were arrested. "Search of the house of Abdul
Haq Khan at Arwani, Anantnag resulted in the recovery of one pistol,
one magazine, six cartridges, one mobile phone and 10 SIM cards,"
the spokesman added. The spokesman said from Liyakat Ali Kuchay,
five Chinese pistols with ammunition were recovered. Kuchay has
reportedly told the Police that he has handed over four IEDs, six
pistols and three wireless sets to some militants for carrying out
subversive activities.
-
June 22: The operation launched
by the Security Forces (SFs) at Baghat in Sopore town of Baramulla
District ended with the recovery of the dead body of a top LeT ‘commander’,
Abu Zubair, from debris of the house where he was hiding, reported
Daily Excelsior. An AK rifle, two magazines, one pistol, five live
pistol rounds and a mobile phone were also recovered from the debris
of the house, official sources said. Zubair, a resident of Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir (PoK), was ‘deputy divisional commander’ of the LeT in North
Kashmir and was involved in planning and execution of several attacks
on SFs and civilians in the area, they said. An unnamed senior Police
official said intelligence inputs had put the number of militants
in the house at two. "We are hopeful of finding another body
also as there is still some part of the debris to be searched,"
he added. As reported earlier, the operation began on June 21 in
which a Policeman was killed and several others sustained injuries.
-
June 21: The rising number of Pakistan
linked terrorist plots in the United States largely stem from Islamabad's
(Pakistan) continued support to some anti-India extremist groups
like LeT, blamed for the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks,
indicates the report released by the RAND Corp. "The country's
acquisition of nuclear weapons emboldened its support to militant
groups by dampening concerns of retaliation by India," the
report mentioned. Seth G. Jones, the study's co-author and a political
scientist at RAND said, "A number of militant networks-including
al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad [JeM]-remain entrenched
in Pakistan and pose a grave threat to the state and the region."
In addition to al Qaeda, numerous
foreign and domestic militant groups have established networks in
the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), the North West Frontier
Province (NWFP) currently known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other
areas of Pakistan. Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the attempted
Times Square car bombing, reportedly had ties to several groups,
such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Haqqani network,
the study notes. Researchers suggest the United States should restrict
some military assistance to Pakistan until the nation ends its support
of militant groups operating on its soil.
Further, Jones and co-author Christine
Fair of Georgetown University say that Pakistan's Army and the Frontier
Corps have failed to demonstrate a consistent ability to clear and
hold territory for long periods. While Pakistan has undertaken a
number of operations against insurgent groups since 2001, the study
finds the successes are short-lived and do not address the long-term
threat. The Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps forces have had
some recent successes, however. This includes efforts during Operation
Sher Dil (Lion’s Heart) in 2008 (Bajaur region), Operation Rah-e-Rast
(Path to Truth) in 2009 (Swat region) and Operation Rah-e-Nijat
(Path to Salvation) in 2009 and 2010 (South Waziristan region),
the report finds. "Yet even with this success, Pakistan's efforts
are thwarted by its decision to support some militant groups. In
recent months, there appear to be changes inPakistan's policy as
evidenced in the capture of senior Taliban leaders such as Mullah
Abdul Ghani Baradar. But it remains unclear whether Pakistani leaders
have made a systematic break with militant groups, the report finds.
-
June 20: The Police neutralised
two modules linked to LeT outfit involved in supplying SIM cards,
arms and explosives and fake currency to the militants in Poonch
District. Six suspects were also arrested by Police.
The Police arrested a LeT militant
who is the main accused in the 2000 blast in a bus near Agra (Uttar
Pradesh) that killed two passengers and injured 15 others, reports
Hindustan Times. Yusuf Mohammed was arrested from Nuh village in
Mewat District of Haryana and brought to Agra in Uttar Pradesh later
in the day in connection with the blast at Peeli Pokhar near Khandauli,
around 20 kilometres from here. "Yusuf Mohammed had been to
Pakistan five to six times for training and is an active member
of the Lashkar-e-Taiba," Deputy Inspector General of Police
Deepesh Juneja told reporters, adding that some fake passports had
also been recovered from him. He also said that Yusuf had several
relatives in Pakistan and one of them had introduced him to Arif,
who is closely connected with the LeT. In March, 2000, Yusuf had
planned to carry out a blast at a bus stand near Agra Fort, for
which he carried out a rehearsal by planting a bomb in a bus which
exploded at Peeli Pokhar. Some believe that it was not a rehearsal.
"The bomb for some reason exploded before reaching its target,"
a Police official said.
-
June 19: In the Baramulla District,
the SFs were engaged in a gun battle with five LeT militants, including
top ‘commander’ Noman, in the forests of Marble area in Sopore.
The contact with the militants was established in the morning of
June 18, leading to a brief gun battle. The sources said the militants
were heading towards Kupwara District to receive a group of militants,
which had managed to infiltrate into the Valley from across the
Line of Control (LoC) recently, when they were intercepted by the
SFs.
-
June 18: In the 11th dossier handed
over to Pakistan since the November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11)
terrorist attacks, India, has provided details on the 34 terrorists,
including fugitives who have been recruited by the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI)- LeT combine to launch terror attacks as part
of the Karachi Project, in the form suggested by Pakistan. India
gave Pakistan the full copy of the Mumbai trial, a copy of the verdict,
the charge sheets, evidence presented and used, and confessional
statements. Pakistan had asked India for all of these in its last
dossier. The LeT chief Hafiz Saeed evidence, Indian officials feel,
is crucial. Although nobody was willing to confirm it, it's believed
the Indians have got this from the LeT operative David Headley interrogations.
"The deputy high commissioner of Pakistan was called in the
afternoon and handed over a set of responses to the six dossiers
received from Pakistan on April 25, 2010 on the Mumbai terror attacks,"
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.
-
June 19: A surrendered militant,
identified as Ghulam Nabi, who had again re-joined militancy, was
arrested by Security Forces (SFs) from village Keshna in the Keshwan
area of Kishtwar District. One pistol and eight rounds were recovered
from his possession, Police said. The militant had earlier surrendered
before the SFs. However, for the past few months, he had re-joined
militancy and was working for the LeT.
-
June 17: Punjab Inspector General
(IG) Tariq Saleem Dogar arrived in Islamabad through a chartered
plane for an emergency meeting with the head of an intelligence
agency and it was learnt that the agency had compiled a report on
the activities of these banned groups. Punjab Chief Secretary Nasir
Khosa also reached Bahawalpur for an emergency meeting in which
he was briefed regarding terrorist networks and activities of banned
outfits in South Punjab. Sources said some important decisions were
taken in this high-level meeting held at the Circuit House.
The Punjab IG met the head of the
jihadi wing of the LeT, who is a retired Pakistan Army colonel,
while the Muzaffargarh DPO also joined them.
-
June 16: The Punjab Government in
Pakistan gave financial assistance to the Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (JuD),
which was labelled a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) by the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC), after the Mumbai terror
attacks. Pakistan’s Punjab province government, which is led by
the PML-N, gave PKR 82.77 million to the JuD, whose chief Hafiz
Saeed is accused of masterminding the terror attacks, and its associates
in the last fiscal year(2009) This information was revealed in a
supplementary budget tabled in the Punjab Assembly which showed
that that the Provincial Government gave a grant of over PKR 79
million to the Markaz-e-Tayyaba, which is the headquarters of the
JuD in Muridke near Lahore in Punjab. According to reports, the
government also gave an additional PKR 3 million as grant for the
schools run by the JuD in different districts of Punjab. Provincial
law minister Rana Sanaullah revealed to a television channel that
the money had been given to the JuD. He told a TV news channel on
June 15 that the money was given to these institutions after the
JuD was “banned” in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the
Punjab Government appointed an administrator for the organisation.
-
June 16: Only about 500 insurgents,
about 40 percent of them foreign militants, are still active in
Jammu and Kashmir, said Director General of Police (DGP) Kuldeep
Khoda. "There are about 500 militants presently active in Jammu
and Kashmir and their number has come down from 700-800 last year
and around 1,000 in 2008," Khoda said. The DGP said 40 percent
of these militants were foreigners, mostly from Pakistan and Pakistan-administered
Kashmir (PoK). He said the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and the LeT -
the terror outfits that have bases in Pakistan - were active in
the State. "The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is more in a supportive
role to the LeT but it depends on the plans conceived across (the
border)," he said.
A batch of youngsters from Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala are presently undergoing militant
training in Kacharban in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) militant has told his interrogators in Jammu and Kashmir. The
HM militant Muhammed Ashraf of Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested
by troops of 40 Rashtriya Rifles when he was trying to enter the
Indian Territory from Nallah Ban post in Mandi subsector in Poonch
District in May 2010. According to officials, who interrogated Ashraf
over the last several days, told over phone from Jammu and Kashmir
that about 24 youth belonging to the southern States were lodged
in a few quarters in PoK and were receiving militant training. "Those
from Dakkan have been lodged separately at Kacharban where the Lashkar-e-Taiba
[LeT] has its training camp. The youngsters from JK [Jammu and Kashmir]
who are in large numbers are not allowed to meet those from the
Dakkan and they are being trained under the supervision of five
Lashkar commanders,'' sources, quoting Ashraf, said.
-
June 15: Several Afghanistan and
international intelligence officials and diplomats stationed in
Kabul have confirmed that the LeT, with the help of the Pakistan’s
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has expanded its anti-India operations
into Afghanistan and set up training camps, adding new volatility
to the relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad. The LeT is
believed to have planned or executed three major attacks against
Indian Government employees and private workers in Afghanistan in
recent months, officials said. Pakistan maintains that it no longer
supports or assists the LeT, responsible for the ghastly November
26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, but its expanded activities in
Afghanistan, particularly against Indian targets, prompt suspicions
that it has become one of Pakistan's proxies to counteract India's
influence in the war ravaged country. "Our concern is that
there are still players involved that are trying to use Afghanistan's
ground as a place for a proxy war," said Shaida Abdali, Afghanistan's
deputy National Security Adviser. "It is being carried out
by certain State actors to fight their opponents," Abdali added.
Experts are of the view that now
the LeT presents more of a threat in Afghanistan than even al Qaeda
does. There were a few LeT cells in Afghanistan three or four years
ago, but they were not focused on Indian targets and, until recently,
their presence seemed to be diminishing, the report said. Pakistani
analysts, in a recent testimony to the US Congress, described the
LeT as a terror group ''having ambitions well beyond India.'' "They
are active now in six or eight provinces. They are currently most
interested in Indian targets here, but they can readily trade attacks
on international targets for money or influence or an alliance with
other groups," a senior NATO intelligence official, who spoke
on conditions of anonymity said. Afghan Interior Minister Hanif
Atmar, who recently resigned following an altercation with President
Hamid Karzai, also confirmed that the attackers, who targeted Indians
during the deadly car bombing and suicide attack on two guesthouses
in the heart of Kabul in February 26, 2010 were "not Afghans."
"They were not Afghans," Atmar said. "What we know
for sure is that it was planned, financed, organized, and that people
trained for it, outside Afghanistan," he added. "Over
the past six months more than four attacks in Kabul had suicide
bombers with telephones that we recovered with active numbers that
were from Pakistan," Atmar informed.
-
June 15: A large quantity of arms,
ammunition and warlike stores were recovered from the lone LeT militant
killed, in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) at Zaloora in
Sopore area of Baramulla District. The recoveries include one AK
rifle, three magazines, 119 rounds of AK ammunition, one hand grenade,
one GPS set, one radio set, one compass, three mobile phones and
one map. One pheran, one shawl, three diaries, one kerosene can,
one pouch, one head gear, two packets of dry batteries, one knife,
14 pens and INR 1320 were also recovered from the scene of the encounter.
As reported earlier, two soldiers were also injured in the encounter
with militant, who is believed to be a Pakistani national.
Two alleged militant sympathizers
were arrested from Gandoh area of Doda District. The arrestees were,
identified as Liaquat Ali and Lal Din. Police said that they were
providing mobile phone SIMs, medicines and information of movement
of SFs to ‘district commander’ of LeT Isaq Bhat.
The Punjab Government in Pakistan
gave financial assistance to the Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (JuD), which
was labelled a front for the LeT by the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC), after the Mumbai terror attacks. Pakistan’s Punjab
province government, which is led by the PML-N, gave PKR 82.77 million
to the JuD, whose chief Hafiz Saeed is accused of masterminding
the terror attacks, and its associates in the last fiscal year (2009)
This information was revealed in a supplementary budget tabled in
the Punjab Assembly which showed that that the Provincial Government
gave a grant of over PKR 79 million to the Markaz-e-Tayyaba, which
is the headquarters of the JuD in Muridke near Lahore in Punjab.
According to reports, the government also gave an additional PKR
3 million as grant for the schools run by the JuD in different districts
of Punjab. Provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah revealed to a
television channel that the money had been given to the JuD. He
told a TV news channel that the money was given to these institutions
after the JuD was “banned” in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks,
and the Punjab Government appointed an administrator for the organisation.
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June 14-15: A LeT militant was killed
in an overnight encounter with the Security Forces (SFs) in the
Sopore area of Baramulla District. The SFs launched an operation
in the Zaloora village of Sopore area following information about
presence of militants in the area, official sources said. They said
as the troops were closing in on the hideout of the militants, they
opened indiscriminate firing on them. The firing was retaliated
by the SFs, triggering off an exchange of firing. One Army trooper
sustained injuries in the gun battle and the operation was suspended
overnight. The operation resumed in the next morning and ended with
the killing of lone militant hiding in the area, the sources said,
adding identity of the slain militant was being ascertained.
-
June 14: A dirty war of supremacy
has broken out between militant outfits LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) in Jammu and Kashmir. In the past month or so, three top ‘commanders’
from LeT and HM have been killed in clashes between the two groups
in Doda, Reasi and north Kashmir. The latest casualty is the LeT
militant Manzoor alias Zuber, who was killed by HM militant Irfan
Mushtaq. His dead body was found by the Security Forces on June
11. “A failure to get fresh recruits, drying up of funds and elimination
of over 40 terrorists by Security Forces within four months has
created a vacuum in the top leadership. This has triggered a fierce
rivalry between the LeT and Hizbul, both of whom want to lose control
of areas from where they get extortion money,” said Lieutenant Colonel
Biplab Nath, defence spokesman at Jammu. Manzoor’s killing comes
days after Chota Bashir was killed by his junior, Lateef, at Dessa
village in Doda. The assassin was later arrested by Police, but
sources said he had surrendered after killing his ‘commander’. “The
desire to obtain a larger share of the money routed through hawala
channels might be a motive behind the killing. Besides, there was
an attempt to show who is mightier,” added Nath.
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June 11: A ‘launching commander’
of LeT, Manzoor Ahmed alias Zubair, was found dead at village
Agsi in Reasi District and was reported to had been gunned down
by his associate Irfan in an act of gang rivalry.
-
June 10: Deputy Inspector General,
Udhampur-Reasi range Gulzar Singh Slathia said that Reasi Police
arrested an Over Ground Worker (OGW) militant, identified as Shabir
Ahmed and subjected him to questioning. During interrogation he
disclosed the killing of Zubair the ‘launching commander’ of LeT
by Irfan few days back. He took Police to Gagar Mandi Gali at village
Agsi from where Police recovered bullet riddled body of Zubair.
Police said that Zubair was a hardcore LeT militant active in Reasi
and Udhampur Districts for last eight years and involved in a series
of subversive activities.
-
June 9: Pakistani born American
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Headley has confirmed that
LeT terrorists carried out the November 26, 2008 (also known as
26/11) Mumbai attack under the "guidance" of Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Headley, who is being interrogated
in the US by a team of Nation Investigation Agency (NIA) officials,
has said that the notorious ISI was engaged with the LeT commanders
responsible for the 26/11 carnage at "each and every stage
of the plot". The account of the terrorist, who receed targets
for LeT terrorists across the country, corroborates India's stand
about the involvement of Pakistani State actors in terrorism, trains
the spotlight on LeT-ISI tandem, and explains Pakistan's unwillingness
to clamp down on the LeT leadership. Headley has mentioned serving
officers of Pakistan Army — Major Sameer Ali, Major Iqbal and Major
Haroon — as those who collaborated with the LeT terrorists. Major
Sameer and Major Iqbal figured in the dossier India gave to Pakistani
foreign secretary Salman Bashir.
However, Union Home Minister P.
Chidambaram is to demand voice samples of seven LeT commanders including
Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu Al Qama and others when he
meets his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik during his visit to
Islamabad for the conference of Home Ministers from South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region. Pakistan has
so far refused to give voice samples which could help investigators
ascertain the identity of those who instructed the 26/11 attackers
as they went about their deadly assignment.
Headley has also revealed how post-26/11,
ISI wanted LeT to disown the Mumbai attack to turn the global attention
away from the terror outfit that Pakistan considers to be an important
strategic asset to be used against India. With Mohammad Ajmal ‘Kasab’
snared, and investigations by India and Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) homing in its nexus with LeT, ISI planned to blame the carnage
on al-Qaeda. It even prepared a list of 4-5 al-Qaeda figures who
were to be projected as the conspirators.
Headley also admitted that while
he had started off as a LeT recruit, he started drifting towards
al Qaeda under the influence of Major Abdul Rahman Saeed. Saeed,
who served with 6 Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army, took voluntary
retirement in 2002 to devote himself full time to al Qaeda's cause.
Headley, who respected Saeed for his "sacrifice", went
high in the retired Major's esteem because of precise inputs he
provided for the 26/11 attack.
-
June 8: An unidentified militant
was killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in forest
area of Kulgam District on June 8 while four militants were arrested
from different areas of Kashmir valley. A joint team of Rashtriya
Rifles of the Army and Special Operations Group of State Police
launched a search operation in the forest area near Leenpathri village
in Damhal Hanjipora area of Kulgam District, following receipt of
specific information about presence of militants in the area, official
sources said. Sources added that the encounter broke out between
the two sides as the militants opened firing on the SFs approaching
towards their positions. One militant had been shot dead so far
while searches are going on in the area to look for any other militants
present in the area, the sources said. The identity and organisational
affiliation of the slain militant could not be ascertained till
last reports came in from the area.
However, the wireless intercepts
between militants in Jammu and Kashmir and their Pakistani handlers
reveal that LeT ‘commander’ Abdullah Ooni is making desperate attempts
to run away from the valley as Indian SFs turn the heat on cross-border
militants. Ooni, who masterminds the joint operations of the terror
syndicate of the LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
(HuM), has been pleading with his handlers across the border to
allow him to return to PoK as he finds the going too hot for him,
the officials say, citing wireless intercepts. ''We have intercepted
their messages where they are desperately pleading to their handlers
that they want to return safely. Ooni is desperately trying to run
away,'' an intelligence official, privy to the communication intercepts,
told IANS. The official could not be identified as he is not supposed
to speak to the media.
-
June 4: Security Forces foiled another
infiltration attempt by the militants on the International Border
(IB) in Hiranagar sector. The report said that an unusual presence
of some dreaded militants, who appeared to be top commanders of
different outfits, has been observed around launching pads in Pakistan
side for past few days. The top commanders, supporting long beards
and hairs, have been seen moving around launching pads of the militants
opposite the IB for past few days, Intelligence sources said, adding
they could be part of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) deputed by its top
brass or Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to search for the routes
to infiltrate the militants, who have been held up along the border
for past several months, unable to breach fencing and tight security
cordon of the Border Security Force (BSF). ‘‘For the last few days,
movement of new militants is being observed at launching pads erected
by Pakistan Army, Rangers and ISI close to their posts on the IB
on Pakistan side. Two to three such ultras have been seen at every
launching pad'', sources said, adding they appeared to be the part
of Pakistan's new strategy to force infiltration of held-up militants.
Reports have suggested presence of more than 1000 militants opposite
IB and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region for last several months.
These militants, mostly belonging to LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) outfits, were desperately trying to sneak into Indian territory
but have been finding the going very tough.
India is reported to be granted
access to the LeT operative David Headley, says US National Security
Adviser James Jones, reports NDTV. A team of Indian investigators
has been camping in Chicago for the last four days to question the
LeT operative in connection with the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist
attacks (also known as 26/11).
The Union Government declared the
Indian Mujahideen (IM), suspected to be a shadow outfit of the banned
Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Pakistan-based LeT,
a terrorist outfit. The IM is reportedly involved in the serial
bomb blasts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore and Mumbai. It has
been added to the list of terrorist groups under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, 1967. “An order has been issued adding the Indian
Mujahideen and all its formations and front organisations to the
list of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,” the Union Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement. Under the Act, the Government
has banned 34 groups and declared them terror outfits. The IM came
to light after the February 23, 2005 blast in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh).
Its hand was suspected in the incident. In 2008, it was reportedly
involved in many terrorist attacks. Intelligence agencies believe
that the outfit is also a front group of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami
(HuJI).
-
June 3: At the start of the United
States-India Strategic Dialogue, External Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna, asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to provide Indian
authorities access to the LeT operative David Coleman Headley, accused
in the Mumbai attacks and now in the custody of the U.S. Mr. Krishna
said, “… access for our authorities to persons who have been apprehended
by your government in connection with the Mumbai terror attack is
the logical next step.”
A team of Indian investigators has
arrived in Chicago, USA and is preparing to interrogate Headley
in connection with the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks. Three days
after the team arrived in the US to question Headley, there was
no confirmation from US authorities as to when and what kind of
access would be granted to the team. An FBI Chicago spokesperson
said that the federal agency would not comment or provide any information
on the Headley interrogation. US Attorney's office spokesperson
in Chicago Randall Samborn said he "does not have any comment
on anything related to David Headley whatsoever". The 49-year
old Pakistani-American has been held at the downtown Metropolitan
Correctional Center.
Headley had pleaded guilty to conspiring
in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks but struck a deal with US authorities
in a plea bargain that saved him from the death penalty and extradition
to India. The plea agreement had however said Headley would cooperate
with foreign authorities and can be interviewed by them only on
US soil.
A hide-out of the LeT outfit was
neutralised in a joint operation by Security Forces (SFs) at Lower
Kasblari under the jurisdiction of Mendhar Police Station of Poonch
District. A powerful 2.5 kilogramme Improvised Explosive Device
(IED), 12 bundles of wire, three rounds of Rocket Projectile Gun
(RPG), 48 Pika rounds, two AK magazines, 231 rounds, one rucksack,
black powder, letter heads and other literature of the LeT outfit
were recovered from the hideout.
-
June 2: Army and Ramban District
Police recovered a consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives
during a search operation at Draman Trag in Banihal area of Ramban
District. Recoveries were made during a joint operation conducted
by the troops of 23 Rashtriya Rifles, 160 Central Reserve Police
Force and Police, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramban Mubassir
Latifi said. Recoveries include one AK-90 rifle, the latest version
of assault rifles, four magazines of AK-90, one AK-47 rifle with
150 rounds, three HE-36 grenades, one binocular, explosive material
and literature of LeT outfit. Army and Police continued searches
in the area to trace the militants. However, no arrests have been
made so far.
The Army and Police extended searches
in entire Thera top forests in Surankote tehsil (revenue unit) of
Poonch District following reports that the top LeT militant Moosa
Khan, who was injured on June 1, was trapped in the forests. Reports
said Army and Police have intensified searches in Thera top forests
with a three tier security cordon after intercepts revealed that
LeT’s Pakistan ‘commander’ Moosa Khan was hiding in the forests
in an injured condition. Moosa Khan was a ‘district commander’ of
the outfit and figured in the list of most wanted militants in twin
border Districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
-
June 1: A self-styled LeT ‘commander''
was killed in an encounter with the Army in Poonch District, an
Army officer said. Acting on a tip-off, troops launched search operations
in Dehra Ki Gali area in Surankot tehsil (revenue unit) in the Poonch
District, he said. During search operations, militants opened fired
on the troops and in retaliatory firing a self-styled LeT commander,
Abu Kara, was killed and another militant was injured, he added.
The encounter was on till late in the night. Recoveries made from
the site of encounter included one AK-56 rifle with two magazines,
two Chinese grenades, one rucksack back and a large quantity of
LeT literature, adds Daily Excelsior.
Senior Superintendent of Police
of Doda District Parbhat Singh said that a Gandoh Police Station
team led by Station House Officer Inspector Qureshi and joined by
Rashtriya Rifles on a tip off raided a newly erected hide-out of
the militants at village Dunadi and arrested two fresh recruits
of the LeT. They were identified as Muzaffar Hussain (16) and Irfan
Ahmed (17), both residents of village Koti.
However, General Officer Commanding
of the 16 Corps, Lieutenant General Rameshwar Roy, said that militants
are under intense pressure to perform and infiltrate into Indian
side from across and the troops continue to ensure strong vigil
and security along the Line of Control. While speaking to reporters
on the sidelines of the function organized in connection with the
Raising Day of the White Knight Corps at Nagrota in Jammu, Roy said
that there was nothing new in the resolve of the terrorists. They
are under intense pressure from their mentors across to infiltrate
into this side and perform.
-
May 30: Troops rescued two youths
from joining terrorist outfits while they were being taken by the
LeT terrorist in Kishtwar District, reports Daily Excelsior. "Security
Forces reclaimed two local youths while they were being forcibly
picked up by Lashkar militant Ishaq Bhatt for recruitment and re-instated
them back in the mainstream," official sources said. They said
that the youths were picked up from Talogara and Kapari villages
by the militants earlier a week.
However, the youths identified as
Sakib Mallik, 18, son of Bashir Ahmed Mallik, resident of Talogara
and Mudasir Wani, 18, son of Anaytullah Wani, resident of Kapari
(Chilli).
A four-member National Investigation
Agency (NIA) team went to the US with the decks finally being cleared
for unqualified access to LeT operative David Coleman Headley, who
was accused of his involvement in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist
attacks (also known as 2611). The report adds that the Mumbai plotter
can be interrogated thoroughly about the terror agenda envisaged
by the "Karachi Project" to target India. Headley pleaded
guilty on 12 counts, nine of which related to the 26/11 so as to
avoid being extradited to India and escape capital punishment. He
will be questioned on certain missing links in the 26/11 conspiracy.
He will also be questioned about the February 13, 2010 German Bakery
blast in Pune.
In Laloor forests of Doda District,
a newly inducted cadre of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) identified
as Abdul Latief, a resident of Laloor killed a ‘district commander’
of the outfit identified as Bashir Ahmed alias Chota Bashir alias
Imtiyaz. Abdul Latief, who surrendered before SFs and Police after
the killing, along with AK-56 rifle and charged with murder under
Section 302 RPC besides other legal provisions of militancy and
Arms Act. Latief reportedly to have confessed that he eliminated
his commander, who was pressurizing him to induct two particular
girls in the outfit. Identity of the girls has been kept secret
by the Police. His further interrogation was on to ascertain his
more links in HM as well as hide-outs of the outfit in Doda District.
According to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Doda District,
with the killing of Chota Bashir and the surrender of Abdul Latief,
the HM has been wiped out in Doda tehsil (revenue unit).
The report adds that Doda District
Police with the help of elderly citizens and former Panchayat (village
level local self Government institution) members had managed to
bring a number of women back into mainstream after working with
different militant outfits for past few months. This had led to
desperation among the militant cadre as the women were helping a
lot to them in transportation of weapons and mobile phones besides
arranging hide-outs. Chota Bashir was reportedly trying to bring
more women into the cadre of HM. A Defence spokesman said that the
failure of militant outfits to recruit fresh youth and drying up
of funds has resulted in an internal crisis amongst the HM and LeT.
Further, the elimination of over 40 ultras by the SFs within a span
of four months has left a vaccum in top leadership which has triggered
a rivalry between the outfits to gain a foothold on the extortion
activities and area control.
"The killing of Chota Bashir
is a clear case of factional rivalry amongst the leaders and various
groups for division of areas amongst various outfits operating in
Doda District. This also reflects the low morale, lack of unity
which is engulfing various militant cadres in the region of Doda,
Kishtwar and Reasi due to the relentless joint operation conducted
by the security forces. The ultras continued to run for cover due
to the recent success by security forces," the SSP added.
-
May 27: Pakistan's Supreme Court
rejected a petition filed by LeT ‘commander’ Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi,
seeking acquittal in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks
case, after his counsel withdrew the plea.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government
revoked the detention orders of 25 Pakistani militants lodged in
different jails of India to facilitate their return to their country.
The State Government acted on the advice of the home ministry, which
asked that the militants be released. “Their detention orders under
the Public Safety Act (a law that allows the Government to keep
people in jail without trial for two years) have been revoked and
they would be sent to Wagah in Punjab for their return to Pakistan,”
an unnamed official said. All 25 Pakistani militants, who would
be handed over to Pakistan authorities at Wagah on May 28 (today),
were arrested over the years from Jammu and Kashmir. Some of them
were involved in acts of terror, the sources said, but did not specify
the exact nature of crime committed by them. Some of them were lodged
in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir for security reasons. Most of
the militants were of LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) outfits, adds Daily Excelsior.
-
May 26: 53 self-styled ‘commanders’
from different outfits - 22 of the LeT, 23 of the HM, five of the
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), one of the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI)
and one of Al Badr were killed in 2009, which included the HM’s
Deputy Chief of Operation Shabir Ahmed, top ‘Divisional Commanders’
of JeM, HM and LeT-Abdullah Satar, Saqib and Yousuf Gujjar. As many
as 37 militants were killed in 2010 till May 15, they said, adding,
it included 22 ‘commanders’ of the HM, LeT and JeM.
Security Forces (SFs) in Jammu and
Kashmir are fighting a "dozen-odd Hindu militants", according
to a document prepared by Police. The document says four "Hindu
militants" were among those killed in encounters with the SFs
over the years, while one had surrendered and another was arrested.
"Some of the (Hindu) militants are listed in the ‘A’ (the most
dreaded) category and all are from various Districts of the Jammu
region. The first time any Hindu was known to have joined a militant
group was in the early 1990s," an unnamed Police officer said.
The dozen-odd surviving Hindu militants are with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM), Al Badr, LeT and the Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA), the officer said,
adding they are active in the Jammu Districts of Rajouri, Kishtwar,
Doda and Reasi.
-
May 25: Foreign Secretary Nirupama
Rao has expressed disappointment over the verdict of the Pakistan
Supreme Court, which upheld the Lahore High Court's decision to
release Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed from house arrest,
citing lack of evidence, reports The Hindu. “There is a sense of
disappointment. I am sure everybody in this country will share the
same sense of disappointment on this development, especially when
we regard Hafiz Saeed as one of the masterminds of the [November
26, 2008] Mumbai terror attacks and he has openly urged jihad against
India,” Rao said. Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary stated, "Since
Pakistan has assured us that it will not allow its territory to
be used against India, we hope Pakistan will be sensitive to our
efforts and take meaningful action."
-
May 25: A three-member Supreme Court
bench dismissed pleas of the Federal and Punjab Governments against
the release of Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD), the frontal organisation
of Lashkar-e-Taiba, ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed, maintaining that it was
not a live issue. The bench comprising Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice
Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Rahmat Hussain Jafferi dismissed the
petitions against the Lahore High Court verdict that ended Hafiz
Saeed’s house arrest. The bench observed that keeping a person in
detention on mere concerns of threat was not justified. It observed
that the Punjab Government had admitted to lacking sufficient evidence
against Saeed and his involvement in any illegal activities after
his house arrest ended. Justice Khawaja said, “If there is any material
against him then its ok, but if he doesn’t create any law and order
situation then the UN resolutions don’t provide grounds to detain
him.” AK Dogar, lawyer for Hafiz Saeed, said his client was a peaceful
citizen and the JD was a welfare organisation. “The prosecution
has failed to prove its case,” he added.
-
May 24: The trial in the July 2006
serial train bomb blast case is scheduled to restart in a special
court. Seven RDX bombs kept in first class coaches of Mumbai’s suburban
trains exploded on July 11, 2006. The Anti Terrorist Squad said
that the conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan and at least five of
the 13 arrested persons had gone to that country for terror training.
The Police also said Pakistan-based militant outfit LeT had used
the banned organisation, Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI),
to engineer the blasts.
The trial started in a special court
in December 2007. However, matters could not progress as the accused
had challenged the application of certain provisions of law. The
legal dispute was finally settled by the Supreme Court in April
2010 before the trial court in Mumbai could hear the case again.
The process involved a delay of more than two years. In 2007, Saeed
Ahmed, son of serial bombing accused Sohail Shaikh Shabbir Masiullah
arrested for the 2006 Malegaon blast, and Zameer Rehman, accused
in the Aurangabad arms haul case, had filed petition in the Bombay
high court challenging the constitutional validity of Maharashtra
Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). When the High Court upheld
the decision to slap MCOCA, the accused moved the Supreme Court
in 2008 and it stayed their trials.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on
the issue of access to LeT operative David Headley, suspected of
having conducted surveillance of sites targeted during the November
26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Prime Minister said, "I have been
assured by the highest in the U.S. administration that we will get
access to David Headley."
-
May 23: The trend of women’s recruitment
into militant cadre of LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) has been
checked to quite an extent due to mobilization of elderly people,
former Panchayat (village level local self Government institution)
members and families of the women by Police and Intelligence agencies
in Doda District. ‘‘The trend (of women joining militancy or lending
support to the ultras in different forms) has been checked. It has
been rather reverse. Police strategy to tactically wean away the
women from the ranks of militants has paid off’’, Inspector General
of Police (IGP) Jammu Ashok Gupta told Daily Excelsior after a two
days visit to Doda District where he reviewed law and order situation
of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban Districts in a joint meeting.
At least half a dozen women have
shun the cadre of militants and silently stopped working for them
on the intervention of some influential villagers, who have considerable
say in their areas. The women were working for them by arranging
food and shelter or even transporting their weapons in Doda District.
Police have decided not to book the women as they have voluntarily
given up the path of militancy. Sources, meanwhile, said only those
girls, who have married the militants, have refused to join the
national mainstream and continued to stay with the commanders of
LeT and HM in their hide-outs located in mountainous areas. Family
members of these girls, all of whom have been identified, were reported
to have done their lot along with elderly villagers of the area
to win back the women but couldn’t succeed. Sources admitted that
prospectus of return of the women, who have married the ‘commanders’
after joining the militancy, were bleak. Accordingly, police have
declared these women as ‘B’ category militants for their active
participation in militancy.
-
May 19: Intelligence inputs suggest
that some top LeT militants, including top militant Furqan, have
sneaked into Kashmir Valley infiltrating the Line of Control (LoC).
Sources in the state Home department have said the inputs of wireless
intercepts suggested that Furqan, whose actual name was not known,
had infiltrated into the Valley to muster support among the local
population and to streamline the operations of the terror outfit.
Besides Furqan, five other top LeT militants were also among them,
the sources said.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman
Singh said that the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
may have forged links with Pakistan-based LeT. "Though I have
no confirmation some facts have come to light indicating that Naxals
may have some connection with the Lashkar militants... The manner
in which they are using IEDs, explosives and weapons with 100% technical
surety shows there are experts behind this who are giving them training,’’
the Chief Minister said.
Raman Singh also stated that Maoists
are the biggest terrorists. "Who else can be termed as terrorists?
They are the biggest terrorists...Naxalism is the biggest challenge
to democracy. They want to capture power at gun-point,’’ Singh said
when asked whether Maoists were terrorists.
The Canada’s weekly current affairs
magazine, Maclean, quoting an unnamed LeT commander claimed that
Faisal Shahzad, the confessed bomb plotter of Pakistani origin,
had received terror training in one of the ‘jihad’ (Holy War) camps
of the LeT in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). A report in Maclean
cited an unnamed LeT commander as saying that Shahzad, during his
visit to Pakistan in 2006, had visited the LeT’s main base of operations
in Dulai, a village situated 25 kilometres away from Muzaffarabad,
the capital of PoK. "He was an eager recruit. Very intelligent
but also very intense, and driven to make his mark for the sake
of Islam," the magazine quoted the LeT commander, as describing
Shahzad.
The LeT commander, however, denied
any direct involvement of his outfit with New York bombing plot.
"Shahzad came to us for training. He stayed with us for three
months and we provided him with the basics. Then he went back to
the U.S," the commander claimed. "After six months, we
tried to contact him, but we received no response, not from emails
or by telephone. We thought, well, okay, so maybe he’s had a change
of heart. We have thousands of recruits who come to us for training.
It doesn’t affect us if one of them is lost,’ the magazine quoted
the militant leader, as saying. Recalling Shahzad’s attitude during
his terror training, the LeT commander said one thing which was
most noticeable in him was that he had a strong desire for glory.
"He wanted to do something big, not just die an anonymous martyr
alongside hundreds of other martyrs. He wanted something international.
He wanted to be famous. For us, that was dangerous. We don’t want
attention brought to us, and we were worried that Shahzad’s personal
agenda would get him captured and bring the spotlight on us,"
the commander said.
-
May 19: The Security Forces (SFs)
shot dead two LeT militants, identified as Abdullah Aniece alias
Ans alias Faisal Hafiz and Abdullah Mohammad alias Abu Maaz, both
belonging to Pakistan, in a day long gun-battle at village Joura
under the jurisdiction of Gandoh Police Station in Doda District,
reports Daily Excelsior. A Special Police Officer (SPO) who
sustained injuries in the incident died later. Recoveries made from
their possession include one AK-47 rifle, one AK-56 rifle, five
AK magazines, one sophisticated wireless set, 48 AK rounds, one
IED, two pouches and documents. They had fired a large quantity
of ammunition and lobbed explosive devices during the encounter.
Inspector General of Police (IGP,
Jammu) Ashok Gupta said that the SFs launched an operation in upper
reaches of Joura after developing a specific input about the presence
of two Pakistani militants—Ans and Abu Maaz—who had escaped from
dragnet of SFs several times in Doda. The encounter ensued when
the militants, hiding inside a house, opened fire as the SFs asked
them to come out and surrender. In the exchange of fire the two
militants were killed.
Ans was a ‘deputy divisional commander’
of LeT and was operating in Doda district for last nine years while
Maaz was a ‘district commander’ of the outfit and was active in
the district during last seven years. Presently, they were co-ordinating
activities among left out militants of LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) outfit and were trying to strengthen their cadre with local
recruitment. "For the first time in last two decades, Doda
District has been cleared from Pakistani militants. Only two surviving
foreign ultras in the district have been wiped out’’, IGP Gupta
said. "Only 22 listed militants have been left in Doda District
and all of them were locals. Entire District is today free from
any Pakistani militant, who once ruled the roost in Doda’’, Senior
Superintendent of Police (Doda) Parbhat Singh said.
The Police arrested an Over Ground
Worker (OGW) of the LeT, identified as Abdul Gani Butt, from forest
area of Sarawan in the Kishtwar District. He was an associate of
LeT ‘group commander’, Habib alias Salman. Similarly, another OGW,
Khursheed Ahmad Dar, was arrested by the SFs at Srandoo in Kulgam
District. A hand grenade was recovered from his possession.
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May 17: The SFs recovered arms and
ammunition from a hideout of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants
at Dera Ki Gali in the Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri District. Recoveries
include one Pakistan made pistol with magazine, three RPG shells,
four UBGL shells, one wireless set, two Chinese grenades, one AK
magazine, 125 AK rounds and 10 detonators.
-
May 17: An encounter took place
between the Security Forces (SFs) and militants in the forest area
of Keshwan in Kishtwar District. The SFs launched the operation
following inputs about the presence of top LeT militant Salman and
his associates in Keshwan forests. After a brief exchange of firing
between the SFs and militants, Salman and his associates managed
to escape taking cover of dense forests.
After traders, few truck operators
have also come under clout for their links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) and LeT in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and
were not allowed to transport goods to Rawlakote from cross-LoC
point of Chakan-Da-Bagh. The truck operators have come under surveillance
following specific reports with Police and Intelligence agencies
that ISI and LeT ‘launching commanders’ have stepped-up their activities
at Chakan-Da-Bagh and were regularly frequenting zero line every
Tuesday and Wednesday when the weekly trade is conducted. There
were reports that the ISI has managed to win over some of the truck
operators, hailing from Poonch District, and could use them for
the militant activities.
-
May 16: Suspected LeT militant Mohammad
Zia-Ul-Haq, arrested by Hyderabad Police (Andhra Pradesh), had received
e-mails originating from Pakistan asking him to carryout "subversive"
activities in India and had millions of rupees deposited against
his name in various banks, the investigating agency revealed. Officials
of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) said that they are trying
to verify the statements made by Haq, who is accused of plotting
terror attacks in the city. Haq, currently under Police custody,
reportedly confessed to having received e-mails from one Abdul Aziz
of Pakistan, who instigated him to carry out subversive activities
in India, they said. For receiving and sending the e-mails, Haq
had visited cyber cafes in Rein Bazar and Mehdipatnam areas among
others last month, the officials said, adding they have seized four
computer hard disks from the shops and sent them to Forensic Science
Laboratory for analysis. The accused have also told the SIT officials
that he had many bank accounts in various parts of the city with
deposits running to Millions of rupees. The investigators are trying
to find out the source of the money and suspect that Haq, a private
car driver, received huge amounts through hawala (informal money
laundering system) or other illegal means to carry out "subversive"
attacks.
-
May 15: To tackle the growing incidents
of stone pelting in Kashmir valley, the Jammu and Kashmir Police,
under special initiative, have decided to appoint stone pelters
as Special Police Officials (SPOs), and entrust them with responsibility
of taking on their former stone pelter partners. Police sources
said that 85 youths have been appointed as SPOs and deployed in
areas, which are most sensitive and infamous for stone pelting.
They said that the incidents of stone pelting have considerably
decreased after the deployment of stone pelters-turned-SPOs in the
area. The State Police says that militant outfits based in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir (PoK), particularly HM and LeT have prepared dozens
of groups who are paid to instigate stone pelting in the valley.
The Police claimed that these groups are paid between INR 5 lakh
and INR 8 lakh, and a portion of this money is supposed to be paid
to the stone pelters who pelt stones at Police and para-military
troopers.
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May 14: A Policeman was killed when
at least two gunmen attacked an unarmed Police Picket at the Khilwat
junction of the communally sensitive Old City area of Hyderabad
in Andhra Pradesh, four days ahead of the third anniversary of the
bomb blast at Mecca Masjid. Constable V. Ramesh and his colleague
Sri Hari were under a tree when two youths drove up to them on a
motorcycle. One of them whipped out a weapon and shot at the Policemen.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan said that Police suspected
the involvement of Vikaruddin, a suspected operative of the Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT), who reportedly masterminded a similar attack earlier. Subsequently,
forensic experts who sifted the area found two spent cartridges
and a blood-stained Compact Discs (CD) believed to have been left
behind by the assailants. The CD contained a statement by an unknown
outfit, Tehrik-e-Galba Islami that the attack was in retaliation
for the bomb explosions at Mecca Masjid in 2007. The statement is
in the name of Mohammad Fasiuddin. Experts said the caliber of the
bullets fired matched those used to kill another Policeman on December
8, 2008 at Falaknuma.
The LeT plans to attack a convoy
of US military shipment en route from Karachi to Afghanistan. Sources
said the shipment consists of approximately eight to 10 containers,
and is likely to leave within a couple of days .The attack might
be carried out in the vicinity of Dera Ismail Khan City in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
-
May 12: Security Forces (SFs) rescued
four teenagers while they were on their way to allegedly join LeT
ranks in Kishtwar District. Superintendent of Police (Kishtwar)
Shaheen Mughal said that the four, all 15, were handed over to their
parents but would be kept under surveillance. "We're investigating
the incident and looking out for the people who motivated them to
join the terrorist ranks," he said. He said this was first
such incident in 2010 and that the Police were keeping a vigil on
the elements luring gullible teenagers. "They are on the run
and have started luring the gullible youth especially teenagers
to their ranks as a desperate measure to meet the shortage of ranks,"
a defence spokesperson said. Sources said that the four had left
their homes in the morning to join the LeT but local residents informed
the SFs after noticing their suspicious behaviour.
The death sentence awarded to Mohammad
Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving LeT militant of the November
26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, is a result of a fair and transparent
judicial process of India, the US has said. "This (trial of
Kasab) was part of an Indian legal proceeding. Obviously, we have
encouraged India and at times, in the aftermath, we have assisted
India with the investigation, but this was the result of an Indian
fair and transparent legal process," said Assistant Secretary
of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley.
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May 11: The arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) militant-cum-trainer Mohammad Ashraf, has said thousands of
misguided Kashmiri youth are still receiving training in camps in
Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). He disclosed that the youths, who
were getting training in different militant training camps in PoK
wanted to return homes and lead a peaceful life. He further said
that neither he nor other militants had any knowledge of the State
Government’s proposed rehabilitation policy for them. He confessed
to have received training at a militant training camp in Kacharban,
PoK. He disclosed that over 2000 militants from this part of the
State (Jammu and Kashmir) were active in training camps in PoK though
some of them felt disenchanted with the militancy, adds Daily Excelsior.
He revealed that all training camps of HM and LeT were fully active
and were imparting arms training to the militants freely with active
co-operation of Pakistan’s Army and Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI). He disclosed that LeT and HM were the only two dominant outfits
to whom majority of militants were affiliated at present in PoK
while Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), once a force to reckon with in Pakistan,
has virtually been rendered irrelevant with very few cadre. Only
a couple of Jaish training camps were now active in PoK, Ashraf
told his interrogators.
General Officer Commanding in Chief
(GOC-in-C), Northern Command, Lt Gen B. S. Jaswal said that infiltration
from across the borders has not increased during the current year
[2010]. He said, "Generally it is perceived that infiltration
from across the borders with Pakistan has increased during current
year but the facts are contrary to this. There has been less infiltration
this year in comparison to last year [2009]. Only attempts to intrude
for creating bloodshed in the State have increased…"
-
May 12: The SFs neutralised a hideout
of the LeT militants at Narol forests in the Mendhar tehsil (revenue
unit) of Poonch District. Recoveries made from the forests include
one pistol with one magazine, 45 AK rounds, one I Com radio set,
two kilograms of TNT explosives, blankets, shawls, jungle shoes,
chappals, biscuits, dry fruits and some incriminating documents.
Also, the SFs recovered one AK-47 rifle, 216 rounds, two hand grenades,
two grenades, one compass, one detonator and a bag during searches
in the Maneeka forests of Sunderbani in the Rajouri District.
A Delhi court convicted two Bangladeshi
nationals for possessing explosives four years ago but acquitted
them of the charge of being cadres of the LeT and waging a war against
the country, reports PTI. Additional Sessions Judge S.K. Gautam
held Alamgir Hussian Roni and Abdul Razzaq alias Aslam under the
Explosive Substances Act.
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May 9: The ongoing anti-militancy
operation in North Kashmir has been further expanded towards Kralgund
and Vilgam forest areas in the Kupwara District as the SFs have
credible information about presence of 11 militants including ‘divisional
commander’ of the LeT in dense forests of the area. The area of
operation has now been expanded to jurisdiction of all the three
Police Stations - Vilgam, Kralgund and Handwara of the Handwara
sub-division. "The cordon-cum-search operations in the forests
falling between Baramulla and Kupwara districts have been intensified
following intelligence inputs about presence of 11 more militants
in the area," sources told Daily Excelsior. They said top LeT
commander Abdul Rehman, who heads the subversive activities in North
Kashmir, was believed to be among the group of militants hiding
in the forests. "A coordination meeting of LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen [HuM] was scheduled to take place at a
secret location but Rehman and his group had to retreat to the forests
of Handwara after eight militants were eliminated by Security Forces
in two separate operations at Dogaripora in Dangiwacha area and
Chak-e-Adoora in Kupwara over past two days," the sources said.
The Russian Ambassador to India
Alexander M. Kadakin said that around 40 terror camps are still
active in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas and Islamabad is
yet to dismantle them, reports Times of India. Kadakin, in his second
stint as ambassador to India, told Times of India in an exclusive
interview that this information was based on Russian satellite imagery
and intelligence. “From the information we have, there are about
38 to 40 such terror camps. Earlier they would have these bright
green boards declaring the name of the organization like LeT, they
have now removed them. However, the camps still remain,’’ Kadakin
said, adding Pakistan had not done enough to get rid of these camps.
Kadakin’s statement is extremely significant because it corroborates
Indian intelligence reports that LeT has become more active in the
region and is looking to target India’s interests in Afghanistan.
On the developing situation in Afghanistan, Kadakin said Russia
was “united 100% with India”.
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May 8: The SFs neutralized a hideout
of the LeT ‘district commander’ Habib Gujjar alias Habibullah
alias Salman and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition
in the forest area of Naidgam in Kishtwar District. The seizure
included 60 kilograms of explosives, seven Chinese grenades, 11
UBGL grenades, two improvised pipe bombs, seven detonators, one
12 bore rifle, one RPG round, 37 gelatine sticks, 15 meters of cordex
wire, one radio set battery and three fire extinguishers. The fire
extinguishers could also be converted into improvised explosive
devices, he added.
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May 7: A Srinagar city court acquitted
a suspected LeT militant hailing from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
(PoK) from the charges of illegally crossing Line of Control (LoC)
)and directed the Central Government to initiate proceedings for
deporting him. "From the evidence, which has come on record,
the offence against the accused has not been established. The accused
can not therefore be convicted for the offence for which he has
been charged on the basis of the evidence," Chief Judicial
Magistrate (CJM) Srinagar Mohammad Ibrahim Wani said while acquitting
Shahzad Khan, a resident of Rawlakote in Muzaffarabad (Pakistan).
The death sentence awarded to LeT
militant Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab by a trial court for the November
26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) Mumbai terrorist attacks is a "clear
message'' to terrorist outfits in Pakistan that they will not be
allowed to get away with their nefarious designs, said Union Defence
Minister A. K. Antony. "It has been proved by this judgment
that under the present law itself, if there is a will, we can take
stern action...We can send a proper message to all those criminals
and terrorists,'' said Antony.
Seven LeT militants and two Army
personnel were killed in an over 24-hour gunfight in the Shiekhpora
forested area of Rafiabad in the Baramulla District, Police said.
“The gunfight has ended. Seven militants belonging to the LeT outfit
were killed while two soldiers also died,” Inspector General of
Police (Kashmir), Farooq Ahmad said. “Our men are still searching
the area,” he added. The gunfight was triggered late in the afternoon
of May 6 after the Security Forces (SFs) surrounded the forest area
on specific information about the presence of a group of heavily
armed militants there. “As the tight cordon closed in on the holed
up militants, they fired indiscriminately at the security forces
leading to a fierce gunfight which continued for the entire night.
More reinforcements were also rushed to the area yesterday (May
6),” Police said. Earlier it was reported that four militants and
two Army personnel were killed in the gun battle. Although the security
officials claimed that all the slain militants belonged to the LeT,
a spokesman of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) told a local news gathering
agency over phone that four of the killed militants were its cadres
and claimed that three SFs personnel were killed in the encounter.
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May 6: The Special Sessions Court
in Mumbai sentenced the lone surviving LeT militant, Mohammad Ajmal
Amir Kasab, to death for his involvement in the November 26, 2008
(also known as 26/11) Mumbai terrorist attacks. Mohammad Ajmal Amir
Kasab "shall be hanged by neck till he is dead", the court
pronounced. Kasab was given the death penalty on five counts: murder,
abetment to murder, waging war, criminal conspiracy and committing
terrorist acts.
He was also awarded life imprisonment
on five counts: attempt to murder in furtherance of a common intention,
kidnapping and abducting in order to murder, conspiracy to wage
war, collecting arms with the intention of waging war and causing
explosion thus endangering life and property. "You have been
given the death penalty for murdering Indian citizens, Police Officers,
conspiring with Lashkar [LeT] leaders and committing terrorist acts.
The court has said while giving the judgment that you shall be hanged
unto death," Judge M.L. Tahaliyani told Kasab. The Indian Penal
Code Sections under which Kasab has been given death penalty are:
302 (murder), 302 read with 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging
war), 302 read with 34 (common intention) and 302 read with 109
(abetment) read with 120 B.
In addition, he has been given death
for the offence punishable under Section 16 of the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act. For the other offences, he was awarded rigorous
imprisonment, simple imprisonment and imposed with fines. Special
Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told reporters that a confirmation
of the death penalty from the Bombay High Court was awaited. Kasab
would continue to be housed at the high security Arthur Road jail
till further orders by the Government.
-
May 4: A suspected LeT operative,
Mohammad Zia Ul Haq, who was arrested by the Hyderabad Police, was
remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
The weekend alert in Delhi followed
the busting of three separate LeT modules over last week across
Nepal, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad. While the former two modules
were specifically tasked to hit crowded places in Delhi and were
being directed by a common Pakistan-based handler, the Hyderabad
module, led by local LeT operative Zia-ul-Haq, was on a mission
to bomb multinational Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu’s HITEC City offices
in the Andhra Pradesh’s capital.
An uncorroborated intelligence input
from Assam Police about groups of al-Qaeda terrorists slipping into
India was one of the reasons behind the high alert sounded over
the weekend. The Police was asked to look out for groups of terrorists
from the al-Qaeda trying to sneak into the country from the western
coast. Though the input was not corroborated, authorities did not
want to leave anything to chance at a time when the LeT and other
Pakistan-based terrorist groups sound determined to launch huge
attacks on India. At least a couple of inputs from Assam over the
past two weeks said about 140 al-Qaeda members may have sneaked
into India from the western coast, using Sri Lankan fishing boats.
-
May 3: A special sessions court
in Mumbai pronounced Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving
LeT militant of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (also
known as 26/11), guilty of waging war against India, after a 271-day
trial. The 1,522-page judgment convicted Kasab of conspiring to
wage war, along with nine other terrorists and 20 co-conspirators
in Pakistan, and of murder and abetment to murder, among other offences.
Among the 20 wanted accused indicted by the court are LeT Chief
Muhammad Hafeez Saeed and other operatives Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi,
Zarar Shah and Abu Hamza. The arguments for the quantum of sentence
will begin on April 4 (today). Special sessions judge M.L. Tahaliyani
at the Arthur Road jail court in Mumbai acquitted the other two
accused, Indians, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, of “all the
charges framed against them.” The two had been accused of making
and conveying maps of target locations in Mumbai.
The court said: “The preparations
made for the attacks by Kasab and nine other attackers, and the
co-conspirators, the training imparted to the gunmen, the arms and
ammunition involved and the quantity of cartridges reached proved
beyond reasonable doubt that this was not a simple case of murder
but an offence punishable under Section 121 of the Indian Penal
Code [IPC].”
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government
would challenge the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed
from the 26/11 case. Hours after the special court pronounced its
verdict, State Home Minister R. R. Patil said that the Government
will study on what grounds the duo was granted the benefit of doubt.
"We will seek opinion of the law and judiciary department before
deciding on the future course of action, including challenging the
verdict in a higher court."
India is trying to defame the Kashmiri
freedom movement by unjustifiably naming Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur
Rahman Lakhvi in the Mumbai attacks case, spokesman of the Jama’at-ud-Da’awa
(JuD), the frontal organisation of LeT, Yahya Mujahid said in response
to an Indian court’s verdict against Ajmal Kasab, the alleged lone
surviving militant involved in the Mumbai attacks. “Right after
the Mumbai attacks, Saeed categorically denied any involvement of
his organisation in a press conference held the next day,” he said.
Yahya said the Attorney General of Pakistan, Advocate General of
Punjab and other Government law officials had put forth all available
evidence before the Lahore High Court on the matter. “After careful
review and diligent hearings, a full bench of the LHC decided that
all the accusations against Saeed were baseless,” Yahya added.
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May 2: The Police arrested a militant
of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) outfit, presently working for the
LeT, who was linked to a major terror plot to carry out blasts in
busy markets of New Delhi on May 2 & 3 for which a high alert
had been sounded by the Union Home Ministry and an advisory had
also been issued by the United States and Australia. The militant,
identified as Omar Zargar son of Ghulam Nabi Zargar, a resident
of Nawa Bazaar, was arrested from a terror hideout at Nawa Bazaar
in Srinagar City before he could reach New Delhi to ute the plan
along with some other associates, reportedly camping in the Union
Capital. A satellite telephone, which is generally given by Pakistan
Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to top commanders, has
been recovered from the possession of Omar Zargar. According to
sources, Zargar was an active stone pelter and had rather become
a ring leader of stone pelters for the past some time.
During preliminary questioning,
Zargar is reported to have confessed that he had to depart for New
Delhi on May 1 as per directions of the Lashkar outfit. He was told
that a person, whose identity had not been disclosed to him, will
hand over explosives to him in the vehicle enroute Jammu to New
Delhi. He had to plant explosive devices in busy markets of New
Delhi to trigger blasts. Sources said simultaneously one or two
more militants, who had been camping in New Delhi, had to plant
explosives in other markets. The Lashkar plot was aimed at engineering
serial blasts in busy markets of New Delhi, sources said.
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April 29: India and Pakistan agreed
to the resumption of high-level dialogue, which has been disrupted
since the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26, 2008 (also known
as 26/11. Meeting on the sidelines of the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Yusuf Raza Gilani, decided
to ask their Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries to first
discuss the modalities of restoring trust and confidence in bilateral
ties. That would pave the way for talks on “all issues of mutual
concern,'' Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said in Thimphu.
India's concern on terrorism came
up for detailed discussion with the Prime Minister conveying to
Gilani that public opinion in India was exercised about the “terror
machine'' that operates from Pakistan and this was the only aspect
holding back normalisation of relations. Manmohan Singh touched
on all aspects of concern to India such as the Pakistan-based terrorist
infrastructure, increase in infiltration and the slow progress in
prosecuting the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Singh
also spoke of India's “deep and continuing concern'' about the failure
to prosecute LeT founder Muhammad Hafiz Saeed. Pakistan said there
were some difficulties in the judicial system to deal with Hafiz
Saeed. Gilani assured Singh that Pakistan was serious about prosecuting
the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and maintained
that all efforts were being made to bring the trial to a speedy
conclusion.
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April 28: The U.S. has agreed to
"take suitable steps" to give India direct access soon
to Pakistan born LeT operative David Headley, who has admitted to
his role in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
-
April 27: Pakistan-based LeT is
making concerted efforts to carry out attacks in India and to develop
links in Maldives and other neighbours, the Minister of State for
Home Affairs Ajay Maken told Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament).
"Available inputs indicate that Pakistan-based terrorist groups
primarily the Lashkar-e-Taiba are making concerted efforts to organise
terrorist attacks in various parts of the country, inter-alia, including
iconic institutions, prominent industrial installations and tourist
locations among others," Ajay Maken told Lok Sabha in a written
reply. The Minister also said some of the prominent groups which
pose a serious threat include LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM), Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HuJI), Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM),
Al Badr, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Zindabad Force
(KZF), Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), International Sikh Youth
Federation (ISYF), United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Communist
Party of India -Maoist (CPI-Maoist). "There is also another
organisation, the Indian Mujahideen," the Minister informed.
Maken said, "The Government continues to be alert to these
threats and re-calibrates its measures to combat terrorism by way
of reviewing threat perception and a number of important decisions
and measures have been taken.
Further, he said "Government
has constituted National Investigation Agency (NIA).The Multi-Agency
centre has been strengthened and reorganised to enable it to function
on 24x7 basis for real time collection and sharing of intelligence
with other intelligence and security agencies."
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April 26: Pakistan has contended
that the Indian evidence against LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
of his involvement in November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) Mumbai
terrorist attack is not admissible under their laws for prosecution.
In a dossier given to India in which it asked for handing over of
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, Islamabad has also asked New Delhi to
give all additional evidence related to 26/11 to it by the middle
of next month, sources said. In the dossier given by Pakistan in
response to the three dossiers given by India, Islamabad said whatever
evidence India has given was not credible and not enough to prosecute
anyone in a Pakistani court, sources said. Pakistan said Indian
evidence against Saeed and others, accused in the involvement of
26/11 Mumbai attack, was mainly based on the statement of Kasab,
the lone arrested terrorist in 26/11, and it was not admissible
under Pakistani law. Pakistan has termed India's claims about involvement
of a Pakistan Army Major and dreaded terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri as
nothing but "figment of imagination". The Pakistani response
was handed over by Foreign Office officials to Indian Deputy High
Commissioner Rahul Kulshreshth in Islamabad on April 26.
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April 25: Pakistan handed over to
India six dossiers on its own investigation into the Mumbai attacks,
with a request that India hand over Ajmal Kasab and an Indian national,
Fahim Ansari, so that their testimonies could be recorded in Pakistan,
reports Daily Times. Top Foreign Office officials handed over the
dossiers to the Indian Deputy High Commissioner. "We have sought
India's help that he (Ajmal Kasab) should be handed over to us so
that the trial here can go forward," Foreign Office spokesman
Abdul Basit said. Islamabad is holding seven suspects linked to
the November 26 to 29 attacks on India's financial capital, including
alleged mastermind of the operation, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and LeT
operative Zarar Shah.
An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi
indicted the seven persons on the eve of the first anniversary of
the attack. Since the indictment, officials have implied that the
seven suspects' trial cannot proceed unless Kasab, who was convicted
in Mumbai in March 2010 after a year-long trial, is handed over
as a witness. When asked how India could extradite Kasab and Ansari
to Pakistan, Basit replied, "It is not extradition per se.
It is a legal requirement since the court has asked that Kasab be
produced before it." Interior Minister Rehman Malik has also
said that Kasab is required to appear in Rawalpindi.
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April 25: Two LeT militants, including
a Pakistani, were shot dead by Punjab Police at village Rattarwaha
in Gurdaspur District, bordering Kathua District in Jammu and Kashmir.
Two Punjab Police personnel were killed and four others injured
in the operation. Recoveries made from their possession include
two AK-47 rifles, two pistols, six Chinese grenades, 16 AK and pistol
magazines, all loaded, four IEDs, one compass, packets of detol
soap and some other belongings.
Two top LeT militants, identified
as Ans and Maaz, both Pakistanis, once again managed to give a slip
to Security Forces (SFs) and Police during an encounter at village
Khatasoo in the Gandoh area of Doda District. An Army trooper was
injured in the operation.
A suspected LeT cadre, identified
as Ghulam Qadir Mir, was arrested by the SFs along with four grenades
and 22 rounds of AK ammunition in the Kupwara District.
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April 22: Asserting that LeT is
a threat not only to India and America but also to Afghanistan and
Pakistan, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P. J.
Crowley said counter-terrorism is the central pillar of US'' strategic
dialogues with all these countries. "It (LeT) is a threat to
our citizens. It's a threat to Indian citizens. Next door, it's
a threat to Pakistani citizens. And next door, it's a threat to
Afghan citizens," Crowley said. "We have stepped up our
cooperation with all of these countries. Together we are trying
to reduce threat of violent extremism that threatens all of us and
our respective citizens. It is a work in progress," he said
when asked about the threat posed by the LeT.
-
April 21: The Jammu and Kashmir
Police arrested Mohammad Ahsan Antoo, the head of the little-known
body called Human Rights Forum, hours before he was to organise
a conference to be tele-addressed by the LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad
Saeed, Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and HM chief Syed
Salahuddin, according to Indian Express. Besides Antoo, the Police
also arrested four other separatist leaders including Javid Mir,
Mukhtar Ahmad Sofi, Sheikh Zahoor Ahmad and Haji Farooq Ahmad Wani.
They were heading towards the local hotel, where the meet was to
be held, when the Police took them into custody. "We had reports
that they are going to play a taped message of Hafiz Mohammad Syed.
Then Jaish's Masood Azhar and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin
were also going to address this gathering through phone. We investigated
the matter and once we found out that it was not a seminar, but
a separatist meeting, we had to act," Inspector General of
Police Farooq Ahmad said.
-
April 21: West Bengal Governor and
former National Security Adviser (NSA) M. K. Narayanan said that
the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has "proven links" with the
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), reports The Hindu.
He was speaking at a seminar on terrorism organised by the Mumbai
Police. "The LeT is linked to the ISI these links are well-proven.
There is a specified section of the ISI to oversee covert operations
of the LeT, which has networks in 21 countries, including Australia,
North America, Europe and Asia," said Narayanan. The involvement
of American LeT operative David Headley and Canadian national Tahawwur
Rana in terror plots had thrown light on the LeT's deep pool of
recruits and the use of modern communication equipment in the November
26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks showed the level of sophistication
in the outfit, he mentioned.
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April 20: Militants in Jammu and
Kashmir are recruiting more and more women, a secret Police document
stated. "Each village has a substantial number of women Over
Ground Workers (OWGs) who are being used to deliver money, weapons
or information to terrorists," the report says. Recruiting
women has its advantages, according to the report, which says, "Getting
women convicted under preventive detention is a distant dream. For
example, one woman was caught transferring terrorist money and grenades
but was let off on bail after Sopore witnessed law and order problems."
Society, too, doesn't look kindly on women being held for terrorist
activities.
Also, the militants have started
using upgraded technology. They are using voice overlapped internet
protocol (VOIP) and encrypted messages. "Terrorists have switched
to different methods of communication, including VOIP calls, which
are difficult to track," the six-page document reveals, adding,
"All messages sent and received are matrix-based and take a
lot of time to decipher. By the time they are decoded, their importance
is lost."
The report further said that in
the past six months, more than 20 Security Force (SF) personnel
and 15 militants were killed in Sopore in various militancy-related
incidents. The high casualty among SFs is attributed to a new strategy
developed by the LeT chief Uni, who has been able to bring together
several outfits. In 2010, Sopore has seen more than eight militant
attacks on Policemen and security installations. Most of them have
been carried out by a module comprising LeT, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
(HuM) and HM, all headed by Uni. Pakistani national Uni had replaced
Furqan, LeT's Kashmir chief, who returned to his home country a
few years ago. Uni was earlier operating from Lolaab and Bandipora
areas, but has now started operating from Sopore.
-
April 19: A link between the Khalistan
Zindabad Force (KZF) and LeT has once again surfaced with the infiltration
of two militants, including a Pakistani and a local of Doda in Jammu
and Kashmir, from Bamial sector of Gurdaspur District in Punjab.
The militants had surfaced at Chabe Chak in Rajbagh area on April
19 and after a brief contact with Police remained untraced since
then. Reports said three suspected guides, who had the history of
assisting infiltrators, have gone under ground after the Police
operation between Chabe Chak to Billawar forests. A possibility
is being explored whether these guides had helped the militants.
Official sources said that intrusion of the militants from forward
village of Simbal Skole in Bamial sector of Gurdaspur District in
Punjab was facilitated by KZF cadre across the International Border
(IB) in Pakistan. This has been corroborated by enough on spot evidence
as well as messages intercepted on both sides—Gurdaspur and Kathua
by the Security Forces (SFs).
Reports indicate that a couple of
KZF militants might also have infiltrated into Punjab from Bamial
sector but the reports have not been corroborated by the security
agencies so far. However, a number of KZF literature (Dashmesh Regiment)
was recovered by SFs from the border area from where the intrusion
took place in the morning of April 19. Recovery of ‘Dashmesh Regiment’,
a part of KZF outfit, and literature from the border from where
the LeT militants had infiltrated has confirmed that a nexus between
the two militant outfits still existed. A close co-ordination between
KZF and LeT existed a long back too. However, after the militancy
died down in Punjab, the KZF and LeT links were confined to Pakistan.
Sources said the intercepts as well
as circumstantial evidence have confirmed that it was the KZF network
opposite Gurdaspur District in Punjab which had helped the LeT cadre
to infiltrate into this side as the militants were finding it difficult
to breach fencing in Jammu sector despite making a series of attempts
to do so during past few months. Except for Pallanwalla from where
a big group of ultras succeeded in infiltration on the intervening
night of March 26 and 27, most of other intrusion bids by the militants
have been foiled. The LeT leadership, according to sources, is understood
to have taken the help of their KZF associates in Pakistan to push
the militants into this side as they were running extreme shortage
of cadre especially in the wake of killing of almost all 17 militants,
who were pushed to this side from Pallanwalla and Nowshera, during
encounters with the Army and Police.
The militants had infiltrated into
Indian side from Bamial sector on the International Border in Gurdaspur
sector after Pakistan Rangers had blasted fencing in 400 meters
area by firing rockets and forced their way into Chabe Chak nursery
in the Rajbagh area of Kathua. The militants, who kept on shuffling
between border villages of Kathua and Gurdaspur Districts, were
unable to breach Police cordon of both States to cross Jammu-Pathankot
national highway to reach Udhampur or Doda Districts and were held
up on this side for more than a week. Unconfirmed reports said that
some Punjab militants had also intruded along with the Lashkar militants
as literature of 'Dashmesh Regiment' of Khalistan Zindabad Force
(KZF) was recovered from the site of intrusion. Bamial sector in
Gurdaspur has Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan on its three
sides.
The United States is working at
the "highest level" to provide India with access to LeT
operative David Headley, even as it is sharing "real-time"
information with India, U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer said.
A Delhi court sentenced a former
Jammu and Kashmir Police Constable to eight years rigorous imprisonment
for being a cadre of the LeT. Mushtaq Ahmed Wani, who was posted
as guard as the residence of Fazal Hussain Beigh, brother of ex-Finance
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, was arrested
from the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 25, 2006, by personnel
of the Delhi Police's Special Cell. Besides the prison term, Additional
Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma, who pronounced the quantum of punishment,
also imposed a fine of INR 50,000 on Wani (30), holding him guilty
of various offences under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The court had held Wani guilty in the case on April 13.
The Police recovered a large quantity
of Pakistani items including fresh eatables from a bag seized from
Chabe Chak Nursery where two militants had taken shelter. The militants
reportedly have managed to escape into a nearby area in the Rajbagh
area of Kathua District. Both the militants, whom intercept revealed
as LeT cadre, hadn't been able to cross Ujh and were believed to
be hiding in downtown of the river. As reportedly earlier, the militants
had infiltrated in the morning of April 19 from village Simbal Skole
in the Bamial area of Gurdaspur District in Punjab and took route
of forward villages to reach Chabe Chak where they were spotted.
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April 16: Pakistan's Inter Services
Intelligence (ISI) continues to have close links with Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) and has used the outfit''s services to foment anti-India passion
in Kashmir and elsewhere, a UN report said. "The Pakistani
military organised and supported the Taliban to take control of
Afghanistan in 1996. Similar tactics were used in Kashmir against
India after 1989," said the much-awaited report by UN-appointed
independent panel to probe the killing of former Pakistan premier
Benazir Bhutto.
-
April 14: Abdul Aleem (28), suspected
LeT operative hailing from Maldives, was detained by Thiruvanathapuram
city Police following an input from the Intelligence Bureau. There
is a look-out-notice of the Interpol was pending against him. He
would be deported to Male on April 15 since he was not involved
in any cases India.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refused
to give any credence to Islamabad's contention that further evidence
was needed against LeT, which is responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai
terrorist attacks. "I think the American intelligence and the
American forces have pointed out the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba and
the link between Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al Qaeda... So, I do not see
there is any need for me to provide any additional evidence to Prime
Minister Gilani about the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba... Hafiz Saeed,
Illyas Kashmiri, Zaki-ur-Rahman, are names with regard to fanning
of terrorism directed against (India)," he said. He also said
that India could resume the dialogue with Pakistan only after "concrete"
and "effective" action against the perpetrators of the
Mumbai terror strikes. The Hindu adds that Prime Minister Singh
told a press conference in Washington that that people who were
named as part of the conspirators in the Mumbai terrorist attacks
"are roaming around freely" in Pakistan.
The Army and Police destroyed a
LeT hideout at village Tandar in the Kishtwar District and recovered
a large quantity of explosive devices and ration items. Recoveries
include two UBGL launchers with 10 rounds, two Chinese grenades,
two RPG rounds, one detonator, one AK rifle and a large quantity
of ration, blankets, eatables and medicines. Police said the hideout
belonged to slain LeT militant Dawood Ahmed.
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April 13: A Delhi court has convicted
a former Jammu and Kashmir Police Constable for being a cadre of
the LeT. Mushtaq Ahmed Wani, who was posted as guard at the residence
of Fazal Hussain Beigh, brother of ex-Finance Minister of Jammu
and Kashmir Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, was arrested from a place near
Red Fort in Delhi on November 25, 2006, by the Delhi police's Special
Cell personnel. Wani, hailing from Baramulla District, was arrested
along with INR 6 lakh alleged hawala money. It alleged the convict
had come to the national capital to collect a consignment of arms,
ammunition and hawala money which were to be used for terror activities
in Jammu and Kashmir. The convict came into contact with his Pakistan-based
handler Mohammad Ahmed, a ‘deputy commander’ of LeT, in September,
2006, and started working for the banned organisation at his instance.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma held Wani, 30, guilty
of the various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Act. The court is likely to pronounce the quantum of sentence on
April 19.
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April 11: A LeT sympathiser was
arrested from Doda District and sent to jail for two years under
the Public Safety Act (PSA). Abdul Qayoom was arrested after a warrant
was issued against him under PSA by the district magistrate on a
dossier prepared by the Police. "Qayoom of Bhaderwah area has
been sent to jail after his detention under the PSA for two years,"
Police said.
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April 9: Security Forces (SFs) arrested
three local trained militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and
two Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the LeT during separate operations
in Kashmir valley. The SFs arrested the three HM militants, identified
as Bilal Ahmad Wani, Imran Ahmad Wani and Mohammad Ashraf Gojri,
from the Batapora-Magam area of Handwara in the Kupwara District
along with huge cache of arms and ammunition. While an AK rifle,
two magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition and two UBGL grenades were
recovered from the possession of Bilal, six UBGL grenades were recovered
at the instance of Imran and Ashraf.
In another operation in the Magam
area of the same District, the SFs arrested an OGW of the LeT, identified
as Nazir Ahmad Mir, along with two hand grenades in the night of
April 8.
-
April 8: The Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB) on arrested a Pakistani national in Dhaka suspecting him to
be an organiser in Bangladesh of Pakistan-based LeT. The arrestee,
Mobashwer Shahid Mubin alias Yahia (25), got involved with LeT in
1998 and came to Bangladesh in guise of a buying house businessman
in 2006, RAB legal and media wing Director Commander Mohammad Sohail
said.
-
April 7: An Army trooper was killed
and another injured in a gun battle with militants holed up in the
forest area of Handwara in the Kupwara District Acting on a tip
off about presence of militants, Security Forces (SFs) launched
a search operation in the forests of Kramhour-Rajwar in Handwara.
During the operation the troops came under heavy firing from the
militants in which two soldiers were injured. One of the injured
soldiers later succumbed to injuries.
Three to four militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT), including the most wanted ‘commander’ of the outfit, Abdullah
Uni, are believed to be holed up in the forest area. The militants
were already operating in the hinterland of the Valley and were
not infiltrators. However, intelligence sources said Uni, a Pakistani
national, might have been on his way back to Pakistan occupied Kashmir
(PoK). Uni is the top ranked LeT ‘commander’ in North Kashmir and
has managed to escape the dragnet of SFs at least five times in
the last five to six months. He is considered to be the brain behind
all the major attacks on SFs and Police informers in Sopore and
adjoining areas over the past couple of years.
-
April 6: A US Defence Department
think tank warned that India’s transportation, economic infrastructure
and political establishment are on the LeT radar. It has also confirmed
India’s charge that the militant outfit still enjoys funding from
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The think tank found
the close links between LeT and Karachi-based D-Company of underworld
gangster Dawood Ibrahim. “D-Company has established smuggling routes
in the region, access to material, a partnership with LeT, and depends
on ISI for refuge in Pakistan,” the report has said. The think
tank associated with the US Army War College said that the LeT,
though having a close relationship with al Qaeda, will continue
to evolve into a distinctive South Asia-centric terrorist actor
while still receiving aid from fringe elements in Pakistan’s security
and intelligence apparatus and elsewhere. “This will not only allow
LeT to continue to plan future Mumbai-style terrorist attacks in
India from safe havens in Pakistan, but will also enable it to guide
and assist the predominantly indigenous Indian Mujahideen (IM).”
According to the think tank, LeT
collects donations from the overseas Pakistani community in the
Persian Gulf and the UK, Islamic non-Governmental organisations,
Pakistani/Kashmiri business people and through its parent organisation
Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD). The militant outfit also counts on donations
from sympathetic Saudis, Kuwaitis, and Islamist-leaning ISI leaders.
“In addition, LeT maintains relations with extremist and/ or terrorist
groups across the globe ranging from the Philippines to the Middle
East and Chechnya by means of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa [JuD] network,”
the report said.
-
April 2: Four more Pakistani militants
of the LeT and an Army trooper were killed in another encounter
with Army and Police at Sadda Darkeri forests in the Kalakote area
of Rajouri District during day long gun battle. During continued
search operations in Kalakote and Dharamshal areas of Rajouri District,
troops intercepted the militants at Sadda Darkeri forests and an
exchange of fire ensued in which the four militants and the army
trooper were killed. The slain militants were identified as Abu
Mavia, Abu Zakir alias Chacha, Abu Hafiz and Abu Rana, all code
names. All of them were Pakistani militants of the LeT outfit in
the age group of 20 to 25 years. Recoveries made from the site of
encounter include four AK rifles with 10 magazines and 250 rounds,
two pistols, two Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGLs), three satellite
telephones, three Global Positioning Systems (GPS), 12 hand grenades,
three I Com wireless sets, two matrix sheets, four maps and some
eatables.
With this ended the nearly seven-day-long
battle between LeT militants and Security Forces (SF) in Rajouri
District. In all, 16 militants, militants, 15 of them Pakistanis,
and five SF personnel died. The encounter began on March 27 and
lasted till the evening of April 2. While a group of eight militants
had infiltrated into Indian Territory from Pallanwalla sector, another
group of militants reportedly entered into this side from Nowshera
sector. The infiltrators were heading towards Mahore area of Reasi
District, sources said.
-
April 1: The US called on Pakistan
to curb anti-India militants, praising Islamabad's recent efforts
against extremism but saying it could do more to improve ties with
New Delhi, reports Daily Times. Robert Blake, the Assistant Secretary
of State for South Asia, held talks in India and Pakistan in late
March where he said he voiced support for the recent resumption
of dialogue between the long time rivals. Blake hailed the "enormous"
progress in Pakistan in fighting extremists, pointing to its offensives
against the Taliban in its northwest and recent arrests of militant
leaders. "I think one can argue there is a lot of important
progress that has been made but we think there also needs to be
progress against these Punjab-based groups," Blake told reporters.
He was referring to banned groups such as the LeT, which India holds
responsible for a 2008 assault on Mumbai and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM),
believed to have joined LeT in a 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament.
The Security Forces shot dead six
top LeT militants, including five Pakistanis and a local, after
an exchange of fire at Khabra forests near village Raa Bagla in
the Taryath area of Rajouri District, reports Daily Excelsior. The
slain local militant was identified as Mohammad Aslam alias Qasim,
a resident of Thanol, Mahore in the Reasi District. Aslam had been
deputed by the LeT outfit to receive the infiltrators and take them
safely to Mahore. Recoveries made from the scene of encounter include
six AK-47 rifles with 27 magazines and 787 rounds, four UBGL grenades,
two HE grenades, 25 Chinese grenades, two satellite telephones with
one card, two mobile telephones with two Pak SIM cards, INR 2.30
lakh cash in Indian currency in the denomination of 1000, four compass,
three Global Positioning Systems (GPS), one MP3 player, four maps
of routes, five I Com wireless sets, drugs, water bottles, 92 batteries
and a number of Pakistan made eatables.
With this killing, two major groups
of militants, who had infiltrated into Indian Territory from Pallanwalla
and Nowshera sectors during past fortnight, have almost been neutralised.
"A couple of more militants could be there but most of them
have been eliminated. Majority of the ultras were dreaded commanders
of LeT outfit hailing from Pakistan," official sources said.
The militant groups were reportedly heading towards Gulabgarh and
Mahore areas of Reasi District from where they were to be allotted
to other areas.
Sources said prior to killings,
the militant in the night of March 31 went to the house of a Village
Defence Committee (VDC) member Raj Kumar at Raa Bagla and asked
for food. As the VDC member refused, the militants resorted to firing.
The VDC members fired back forcing the militants to flee.
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March 31: Marking the end of the
year-long November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack (also known
as 26/11) trial, the special sessions court in Mumbai announced
May 3, 2010, as "the day of judgment." Judge M.L. Tahaliyani
gave the date after the lawyer for the third and last accused, Sabahuddin
Ahmed, concluded his final arguments. On May 3, the court will give
its verdict on the various charges against LeT militant Mohammad
Ajmal Amir Kasab, and co-accused Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin. The
recording of the judgment will be done in April 2010. The trial,
which began on April 15, 2009 had 191 hearings during which 653
witnesses were examined by the prosecution. The final arguments
began on March 9, 2010 and lasted through the month with the prosecution
laying out its case over a span of 11 days.
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March 30: Five militants, including
four of LeT outfit, and four Security Force (SF) personnel were
killed in two separate encounters in the Rajouri District. Two SF
personnel, including a Station Hose Officer, also sustained injuries
in the gun battle.
The Police recovered five kilograms
of IED, three kilograms of RDX and three detonators from Charmer
Gali forest area in Rajouri District. Police were acting on the
disclosure made by two suspected LeT cadres, identified as Mohammad
Shabir and Mohammad Sadeeq, arrested earlier. "On the basis
of the disclosure made by the arrested person during the interrogation,
we launched a search operation. We found one IED in a pressure cooker,
which was around five kilograms and we also recovered three kilograms
of RDX," said Farooq Kesar, the Deputy Superintendent of Police.
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March 29: As revealed by different
detained foreign militants, 15 foreign militant organisations were
active or are still operating in Bangladesh since 1991 using the
country as a safe shelter or transit to infiltrate neighbouring
countries, reports Daily Star. The organisations are Pakistan-based
LeT, Tehrik-e-Jehad-e-Islami-Kashmiri (TJI), Harkat-ul Mujahideen
(HuM), Harkat-ul-Jehadul Islami (HuJI), Hizb-ul Mujahideen (HuM),
Hezbe Islami, Jamiatul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Ansar, Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front (JKLF), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), India-based Asif
Reza Commando Force (ARCF), Myanmar-based militant groups Rohingya
Solidarity Organisation (RSO), Arakan Rohingya National Organization
(ARNO) and National United Party of Arakan (NUPA). The statements
of detained militants also reveal agents of a Pakistani intelligence
agency not only coordinated the militants'' activities in Bangladesh
but also provided them with necessary funds and training.
However, Director General of Rapid
Action Battalion (RAB) Hassan Mahmood Khandkar said, "Now Bangladesh
is no more a comfortable place for local or foreign militants as
we constantly remain vigilant and go after militants upon instructions
of the Government."
The Army said that nearly 550 terrorists
were operative in the State, including around 250 in Jammu region,
while 200-250 others were waiting at different launch pads across
the Line of Control (LoC) to enter the Indian territory to help
the depleted rank and file of militant organizations in launching
offensive, according to Daily Excelsior. Brigadier Gurdeep Singh,
Brigadier General Staff (BGS) 16 Corps, while addressing media persons
at Corps Headquarters, Nagrota, informed that there was no let-off
from the side of Pakistan in abetting and aiding terrorism against
India, as 42 training camps still exist across the Line of Control
(LoC) out of which 34 are working wherein, 2000-2500 militants are
getting training.
The recoveries, including SIM cards,
music players, eatables etc, made from the Pakistani militants killed
at Kalakote in the Rajouri District on March 27 have once again
proved that Pakistan is aiding and abetting militants, as all the
materials recovered from their possession were found made in Pakistan,
he said. "Most of the recoveries point to the involvement of
our neighbour. Two Nokia mobile sets with 2 SIM cards of Jazz and
Telenor mobile companies of Pakistan, perfume brands of Haji Gulzareen
Khashbu House of Peshawar (Pak), Star high nutrition mixer of Multan
road Lahore, Mosquito replant of Karachi and 2 GB MP player (Pak
made)," he maintained.
The BGS further said that the Jammu
region has been by and large peaceful and so far, in the first three
months of 2010, 24 militants, including 11 ‘commanders’ belonging
to the LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and
Harkut-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI) have been eliminated in different
anti-militancy operations with the least of collateral damage. On
the number of militants in the State, he said 200 to 250 militants,
50 per cent of them foreign mercenaries, are operating in Jammu
region and nearly 300 in Kashmir, adds Rediff. He said, "We
have also focused on over ground workers (OGWs) and facilitated
their arrest under a pro-active policy to target OGWs of militants".
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March 28: About 400 militants were
waiting to cross over to Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC)
and nearly 300 militants were active in the Kashmir Valley, Brigadier
General Staff at 15 Corps headquarters Gurmeet Singh said. "According
to the Intelligence available with us, there are 42 training camps
across the LoC and 34 of these are active. There are 20 launch pads
opposite our Corp zone where around 400 militants are waiting to
infiltrate," Daily Excelsior quoted him as saying. Asked about
the identity of slain militants, he said it was still being ascertained.
"The militants are now coming in mixed batches - Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
[HM], Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT] and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen [HuM],"
he added. He said the militants were using Global Positioning System
(GPS) and satellite phones as they do not trust the local guides
anymore.
Further, militants are using GPS
for cross-border infiltration and locating safe routes in Jammu
and Kashmir, Police said after a high-end GPS was found from Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) militants on March 27. "Militants are using GPS for finding
infiltration routes and tracks for movement within J&K. The
satellite based navigation system is being used by militants as
a guide in mountainous terrain," Superintendent of Police (SP,
Noushera) R. K. Bhat told PTI. A Taiwan-made ‘Garmin GPS’ was seized
from two LeT militants who had recently infiltrated from across
LoC and were killed in Dharamshal area of Rajouri District on May
27, the SP said. As the infiltrating militants are increasingly
finding it difficult to get guides to help them move from one area
to another, they are now using this GPS system, he added.
Meanwhile, intelligence agencies
of Security Forces and Police believed that the number of Kashmiri
youths held up in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) was precisely
2500. "There is no accurate official data as families of most
of the youths, who had crossed over to PoK for arms training during
past several years of militancy, have not lodged their missing reports.
We have through our own sources of information managed to identify
most of the youths who were stationed in PoK", official sources
told the Daily Excelsior. "To be very precise, the number of
such youths could be around 2500. The number, however, varied with
different agencies with some putting it at 2000 and others at 2500
or 3000. We are taking it at 2500", they said, adding there
was no basis in the claim of some human rights organisations which
described the number around 10,000 or so.
In a veiled reference to Pakistan,
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram pressed the point that India
continued to remain vulnerable to State sponsored terror. The remarks
come at a time when fresh revelations by the LeT operative David
Headley indicate that there could be five-six serving Pakistani
officers who were involved in the Karachi project. Chidambaram said,
"The challenge before security is that the source of the terror
lies across our border and they have the support of the state and
therefore their capacity to reach here and strike is very high."
At the same time, he also said that
the Security Forces have the capacity to give a "swift and
decisive" response to any terror attack targeted against the
country. Chidambaram said that cities in India were as vulnerable
to terror as those in other parts of the world. "Like any other
country we are vulnerable to terror. We are no more vulnerable and
no less vulnerable to terror than any other country," he said.
The SFs arrested two persons, believed
to be the Over Ground Workers working for the LeT, in the Shahdra
Sharief area under the jurisdiction of Thanamandi Police Station
of Rajouri District in Jammu and Kashmir. The duo, identified as
Mohd Shabir and Mohd Sadeeq, and residents of Shahdra Sharief, during
preliminary questioning they disclosed that they have contacts with
self styled LeT ‘commander’ of Thanamandi namely Abu Qamar and his
group and also revealed that Abu Qamar and his associate may be
hiding in Chamrer Gali area. Based on the information provided by
the duo, the SFs launched a search operation in the Chamrer Gali
forest area and recovered one IED fitted in a pressure cooker weighing
about five kilograms, three kilograms of RDX and three detonators.
The Police arrested a suspect along
with INR 500, 000 which was to be delivered to militants for fuelling
violence in South Kashmir. Acting on a tip off, Police arrested
one Nazir Ahmad Ganaie after recovering INR 5 00, 000 cash from
him at Harmain in Shopian District. "The money recovered from
Ganaie can be described as proceeds of terrorism. He is likely to
have received the money from a courier for onward distribution among
militants," said Senior Superintendent of Police (Shopian)
Shahid Mehraj. The Police recovered a letter pad of LeT, a matrix
sheet and a mobile phone set from his possession. This is second
success of the Police against hawala (illegal money transfer) operators
in Kashmir valley since 2009. In July 2009, Police had neutralized
a big hawala racket spread over four Districts of the Valley and
had recovered INR 4 00, 000 from the conduits.
-
March 27: Pakistan-based LeT, predominately
a threat to India, is fast expanding operations to other South Asian
countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, said
Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of the US Pacific Command in his
testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The dangerously
expanding influence of LeT, which was responsible for the Mumbai
attack in 2008, is an issue of concern for the Obama Administration,
he said. "Right now our concern is the movement of Lashkar-e
Taiba, the terrorist group that emanates from Pakistan that was
responsible for the Mumbai attacks in India, and specifically their
positioning in Bangladesh and Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka,"
Willard said in response to a question from Senator George Lemieux.
Admiral Robert Willard said the
US was working "very closely with the Indians" and within
to develop the necessary plans to counter LeT and its movement into
the Asia-Pacific region. Asked specifically if the LeT is a regional
threat or a threat to India, Willard said as of now Lashkar is predominately
a threat to India. "We're attempting to develop a further understanding
of the extent to which they're a regional threat. If you'll recall,
Lashkar-e-Taiba was evidenced in Chicago with the arrest of Headley,"
he said. "And we have certainly knowledge of their influence
within the region beyond the countries that I just mentioned. The
extent of that influence is what we're taking under study,"
he said. Responding to a question from Senator Daniel Akaka, Willard
said the military-to-military relationship with India has been evolving
over the last decade and has also started at the tactical level
service-to-service type interaction.
At least four LeT militants were
killed in gun battles with Security Forces (SFs) in the Rajouri
and Kishtwar Districts. Two top LeT militants, identified as ‘district
commander’ LeT Patimahal, Rehmatulla alias Saifullah, and Nissar
Ahmed Parrey, who had recently been recruited into the LeT, were
killed in Kishtwar District. The SFs also recovered one AK-47 assault
rifle and one Chinese grenade from the militants.
In another encounter in the Kalakote
area of Rajouri District, two top Pakistani terrorists of the LeT
were killed in a gun battle with the SFs. The slain militants were
identified as Abu Osama and Abu Sorab. Two AK-47 rifles with eight
magazines, 214 rounds, one Chinese pistol with three magazines and
15 rounds, one solar charger, two radio sets/icon with two chargers,
one GPS Garmin, one satellite phone charger, two hares, a sophisticated
compass, a map sheet and matrix sheet, two UBGL grenades, one binocular,
two hand grenades along with medicine and eatables were recovered
from the rucksacks of the slain militants.
-
March 26: The LeT has issued a warning
in Kashmir, telling residents to stop helping defence forces or
face death. In its latest diktat, the LeT has put up posters in
the Doda District of Kashmir warning locals that all who either
serve in the paramilitary forces or the Police force will be slaughtered.
The posters warn locals who are working in the paramilitary or Police
force, that they should resign or face consequences. The leT goes
on to add that in coming days the group will target the Special
Police Officers (SPOs).
LeT operative David Coleman Headley
identified five-six serving officers of the Pakistan Army among
the leaders of the Karachi Project, which seeks to organize attacks
on India through fugitive Indian jihadis being sheltered in Karachi
by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)-LeT combine. Sources said
that besides serving Majors Samir Ali and Iqbal of Pakistan Army,
Headley has told his FBI handlers about the role of one Colonel
Shah and at least two other officers of the Pakistan Army in the
Karachi Project. The role of two serving officers of the Pakistan
Army, Majors Samir Ali and Iqbal, in the Karachi Project, was reportedly
mentioned in the dossier that was submitted to visiting Pakistani
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir in New Delhi on February 25.
-
March 26: Several satellite phone
conversations intercepted by Indian agencies in the past few months
indicate that LeT is now deeply involved in attempts to drive India
out of Afghanistan. These intercepts, which have been brought to
the notice of US security agencies, are in Urdu and not just in
Pashto which, according to Indian officials, suggests the involvement
of LeT. The location of the satellite phone in most of these conversations
was established in areas adjoining the Kunar province along the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Kunar is the place where LeT was first
formed in the early 1990s. One such conversation was intercepted
in the first week of February 2010 by the Research and Analysis
Wing (R&AW) in which terrorists were heard talking about the
need to hurt India in Kabul. "Unlike earlier, apart from Pashto,
many of these recent intercepts have been in Urdu. These were taken
up with US agencies and they later authenticated them," said
an official source, adding that through the intercepts, India has
been able to confirm at least five meetings since September 2009
in which plans to attack Indians in Afghanistan were discussed.
The intercepts also revealed that
ISI officials were in constant touch with not just LeT but also
other groups in Afghanistan to carry out attacks against Indians
and Indian establishments in Afghanistan. The first of these was
in Kunar in September 2009 in which LeT played host to the Inter
Services Intelligence (ISI), Taliban leaders and other groups like
Hizb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an ISI
lackey and rabid India-baiter. According to Indian officials, it
appears that the LeT is trying to revive its old base in Kunar and
use it to carry its battle against India to Afghanistan.
A week after the February 26 attacks
on Indians in two guesthouses in Kabul, a spokesperson for the Afghan
intelligence service had said that the perpetrators were from the
LeT because they were heard talking in Urdu by those present at
the spot. US counter-terror coordinator Daniel Benjamin said in
New Delhi on March 25 that US was focusing on LeT because it was
filling up the gap left by "a diminished Al Qaida".
-
March 25: Union Home Minister P.
Chidambaram urged the UK and the US to put pressure on Pakistan
to shut down terror camps operating in that country adding terror
training must come to an end, reports Times of India. In an interview
to BBC, he said that the civilian Government in Pakistan has not
moved towards reining in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and
likened Pakistan-based militant outfits LeT to al-Qaeda. Chidambaram,
on an official visit in London, said things would be better "if
there is a truly civilian Government in Pakistan which can rein
in the ISI and direct the army and the ISI to move in and dismantle
their terror infrastructure". "The camps must be closed.
Training must come to an end", he added.
Chidambaram also said that it would
be "naive" for Western countries to think that only India
faces the threat from Pakistan-based terrorists. "Once you
allow these terror groups to train, recruit and be able to build
capacity to strike, they can strike in India, they can strike in
UK, they can strike in Denmark as they were planning out of the
Karachi project", he said. "No country is truly safe....Don't
think that India alone is under threat. Every country is under threat
from these groups and the Lashkar-e-Taiba today is like the al-Qaeda,
a multi-country group," he stressed.
-
March 23: The militants vowed to
wage jihad (holy war) to liberate Kashmir from Indian control.
About 5,000 persons attended a rally in Kotli in Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK), shouting, "We are ready for jihad, we are ready
for jihad!" The gathering marked the anniversary of the 1940
Pakistan Resolution, in which Indian Muslims decided to struggle
for a separate country following independence from British rule.
Pakistan was born seven years later on 14th August 1947. "Diplomacy,
talks and negotiations spanning several decades have not worked,"
said Syed Salahuddin, chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC),
which consists of 16 religious groups, militant outfits and political
parties. "The only way to liberate Kashmir is jihad,"
said Salahuddin, who is also 'commander-in-chief' of Hizbul Mujahideen
(HM). He denied that jihadi groups were behind attacks within the
country. The rally was also attended by leaders of Jama'at-ud-Da'awa
(JuD). A resolution adopted after the meeting said, "Jihad
will continue until India ends its occupation of Kashmir."
-
March 22: A special team comprising
members of National Investigation Team (NIA), as also Union Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) officials, will soon leave for the US to question
Pakistani-American militant David Coleman Headley who recently confessed
plotting November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorists attack attacks and
also his links with the LeT. Sources said that Union Home Minister
P. Chidambaram has asked officials to prepare a questionnaire for
Headley''s interrogation.
-
March 21: At least five persons
involved in trade across the Line of Control (LoC) were arrested
for giving ‘hawala’ money to Let militants, Police said. The report
adds that the arrested persons allegedly distributed INR 1,385,000
obtained from sale of goods sent from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
(PoK) among terrorists and others associated with LeT outfit for
terrorist activities in the Valley, they said. "Some people
linked with cross-LoC trade between Jammu and Kashmir and POK have
been found indulging in providing hawala money and helping terrorists
involved in anti-national activities and terrorism," Police
officials said.
-
March 19: The Jammu and Kashmir
Police confirmed that the March 16 attack on Security Force personnel
at Lal Chowk in Srinagar was carried out at the direction of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) chief Syed Salahuddin, reports India Today. Srinagar Deputy
Inspector General of Police S.K. Lohia said, "The attack at
Lal Chowk was carried out by Syed Salahuddin's men. We have information
that the attack was carried out by Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba]
since they have joined hands now."
-
February 24: The Criminal Investigation
Department (Counter Intelligence) lodged a First Information Report
(FIR) against a dealer for issuing a SIM card in the name of a dead
person, which was being used by a LeT militant. The mobile phone
number 8803222092 was issued by a private Telecom company's dealer
at Budhal on December 25, 2009 in the name of a person Mohammad
Rashid, who had died on January 1, 2007. "This was a clear
case where the company had issued a cell phone connection without
proper verification", official sources said, adding, the SIM
card was reportedly being used by a LeT militant Irfan, who was
operating in Rajouri District.
-
March 18: Pakistani-American LeT
operative David Coleman Headley, accused of plotting the November
26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) Mumbai terrorist attacks and conspiring
to target a Danish newspaper, pleaded guilty before a U.S. court
in Chicago. Headley told U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber that
he wanted to change his plea to guilty, in an apparent bid to get
a lighter sentence than the maximum death penalty. Headley reportedly
charged on 12 counts, admitted he was guilty of all of them.
-
March 17: A Special Tribunal Court
of Dinajpur sentenced two Jama'atul Mujahideen of Bangladesh (JMB)
militants, Mohammed Anwar Shahadat (32) and Md Obaidullah (34),
each to life term imprisonment and 10 years' jail in a bomb blast
and arms case of February 22, 2003, in Dinajpur District.
Meanwhile, the Law Minister of Bangladesh,
Shafique Ahmed, briefed after his visit from the United States (US)
that the US Government was examining whether there are links between
Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Bangladesh and the Pakistan-based militant
organisation LeT.
The LeT has two support groups in
Kerala, reveals arrested militant Thadiyantavide Nazeer during interrogation
by the Police team in Kannur. Going by the revelations made by Nazeer,
who is now under the custody of the Police in Kannur, he was in
charge of the support group of LeT in north Kerala. His main assignment
was to recruit youths for terrorist activities. He also told investigating
officials that LeT had given him INR 75,000 during his stay in Bangladesh
after four Malayali LeT militants were killed in Jammu and Kashmir.
The funds for the Kerala operations came from Gulf countries, according
to Police sources.
-
March 16: Three civilians and three
Security Force (SF) personnel were killed and eight others, including
three SF personnel, injured by militants in the Srinagar and Baramulla
Districts. Three terrorists fired from a close range using automatic
weapons at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) posse at Lal Chowk
in Srinagar in the morning. A shop worker was killed and another
injured civilian died in the hospital later. The CRPF personnel
killed were identified as constable Basant Kumar and head constable
Omkar Ram. Three civilians and two CRPF personnel were injured in
the attack. No group owned up the responsibility for the attack.
Kashmir Times quoted Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of CRPF as saying,
"We have inputs that militants have sneaked into the city...
I cannot say the exact number of militants sneaking into the city
but there can more attacks."
In the evening, terrorists attacked
a posse of the Special Police Officers (SPOs) at the Sopore bus
stand in Baramulla District killing SPO Asif Hussain and a civilian
Tanveer Ahmad, adds Economic Times. Five civilians and another SPO
were injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, Ittehad Al Salasa Al
Jehadi, a hitherto unknown militant amalgam of three lesser known
groups, claimed responsibility for the March 16 Srinagar attack
as well as the grenade explosion on March 14 that killed a Para-military
trooper and left five injured, according to Daily Excelsior. A spokesman
of the amalgam, comprising Al Nasireen, Farzandaan-e-Millat and
Shuhada Brigade, said they carried out the attack at Koker Bazaar
(March 16) and Zaina Kadal (March 14). "People should stay
away from places where troops are deployed either individually on
in large number. Any civilian getting injured in such attacks will
be responsible for his or her own safety," the spokesman told
media persons over phone. However, aother report adds that the grenade
attack was claimed by Save Kashmir Movement militant outfit, which
is believed to be a joint brigade of the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).
Separately, SFs recovered a rocket
launcher from the Bhatidhar area of Mendhar in the Poonch District.
-
March 15: Special Operations Group
(SOG) of Police arrested a wanted militant of LeT terrorist, identified
as Noor Hussain, from Regal Chowk area of Srinagar city. One pistol,
one magazine and seven rounds were recovered from his possession.
-
March 13: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist
Squad (ATS) arrested two militants for plotting to set ablaze the
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) office in Mumbai,
ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi said. The duo, identified as Abdul Latif
Shaikh (29) of Bandra and Riyaz Ali (23) of Dahisar, were arrested
at 8.30 p.m (IST) from Matunga area on information given by Central
agencies. Raghuvanshi said that the two were suspected of working
on plans to target Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, offshore installations
of the ONGC in Mumbai and Nhava Sheva, fuel storage tankers of oil
companies in Sewri, Thakkar Mall in Borivili and Mangaldas cloth
market, adds Times of India. However, they were produced in court
on March 14 and remanded to Police custody till March 18. The ATS
Chief said both were in touch with a person from Pakistan, whom
they referred to as “uncle.” They had received instructions from
Pakistan to get their passports readied. Raghuvanshi also said that
the ATS was probing their links with terror outfits in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry for
Home Affairs (MHA) sources in New Delhi said that the conspiracy
was part of the Karachi Project — a joint venture of the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) and LeT which involves serving and retired officers
of the Pakistan Army and fugitive terrorists from India. The project,
first revealed by the American LeT terrorist David Coleman Headley
to his Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) handlers, is designed
to use Indians for setting off terror attacks in India.
-
March 12: The Army and Police neutralised
a major hide-out out, consisting of three small under ground rooms,
of the LeT in the Pathimallah Palmar area of the Kishtwar District.
The Security Forces (SFs) recovered 10 rounds of AK-47, six gelatine
sticks, two Chinese grenades, three UBGL grenades, four safety fuses
with detonator, one mobile charger, torch cell, two blankets, two
mattresses, plastic sheets, one small gas cylinder, 20 litre kerosene
oil, water cans, utensils and 15 kilograms of ration from the hideout.
Superintendent of Police (SP, Kishtwar) Haseeb Mughal said the hide-out
reportedly belonged to top LeT cadre Saifullah. Constructed to accommodate
7/9 terrorists with sufficient stocks the hide-out had inconspicuous
entry. "The hide-out was a major waypoint for LeT terrorists
where they used to take rest and recoup prior to undertaking their
nefarious activities in Malar/Bhatta areas", the SP said, adding,
"The destruction of hide-out has disrupted the movement of
terrorists in the area and adversely affected their chain of supply
and replenishment". He further said that neutralising of Saifullah’s
hide-out has given some vital clues to the SFs about the group of
LeT terrorists active in the area.
Another hideout of militants was
neutralised during a search operation in the Gari forest area of
Ramban District, reports Kashmir Times. The arms and ammunition
recovered included 31 rounds of PIKA gun, one empty ammunition box
and 28 empty cartridges of AK 47.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) has asked Kerala Police to step up security in Kochi following
intelligence inputs that LeT militants may attempt to strike the
coastal city. Following the intelligence inputs, Union Home Secretary
G. K. Pillai spoke to Kochi Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham and
asked him to beef up security in and around the city, official sources
said. The commercial capital of Kerala hosts Southern Command of
Indian Navy, a famous Jewish synagogue, Kochi Shipyard and some
other sensitive installations. The Kochi backwaters frequented by
foreign and domestic tourists are also believed to be under the
radar of terrorist groups. When contacted, Kerala Home Minister
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told news agency in Thiruvananthapuram that
the State Director General of Police (DGP) received some information
from the Union Government and steps have been taken on that basis.
High alert machinery has been put on active mode following the receipt
of the information, sources said.
-
March 11: The Inter Services Intelligence
(ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, continues to maintain
links with the LeT, the terrorist outfit responsible for November
26 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), and Islamabad
is reluctant to take action against its leaders and its network,
several eminent United States (US) scholars and experts of South
Asia have categorically told US lawmakers.
Attending a special Congressional
hearing on ''Lashkar-e-Taiba and the growing ambition of Islamic
militancy in Pakistan'', Congressmen unanimously expressed concern
that despite best of the efforts by the Obama administration, the
ISI continues to maintain links with LeT and that Pakistan is not
taking decisive action against the terrorist outfit. Testifying
before the Congressional committee, Marvin G. Weinbaum, from the
Middle East Institute a Washington-based think tank, said the ISI
is believed to continue to share intelligence and provide protection
to LeT. Eminent Pakistani scholar Shuja Nawaz too conceded that
the relationship between the ISI and LeT has stayed overtime. "The
LeT''s emerging role as a trans regional force that has broadened
its aim to include India and perhaps even Afghanistan, by linking
with the Students Islamic Movement of India or SIMI and the Harkat-ul-Jihad
al Islami or HUJI of Bangladesh poses a serious threat to regional
stability," Nawaz said. Nawaz is currently the director, South
Asia Center, The Atlantic Council of the United States.
"Pakistan’s military is likely
paying compensation to the families of the terrorists killed in
the Mumbai attacks", says chairman of US House Subcommittee
on the Middle East and South Asia Gary Ackerman and blamed Islamabad
for allegedly continuing to support LeT, "There is, in fact,
no reason to doubt that Pakistan’s military is likely paying compensation
to the families of the terrorists killed in the Mumbai attacks,
adding that these are our allies in the war on terror," he
bemoaned.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani-American
expert, Shuja Nawaz, said that the LeT was "a Frankenstein’s
monster", which assumed a broader regional role. Nawaz, who
is the director of South Asia Centre at the Atlantic Council of
the US, warned that "another Mumbai-type attack involving the
LeT might bring India and Pakistan into conflict, a prospect that
should keep us awake at night."
Further, Shuja Nawaz said that "Resolving
the Kashmir problem by itself is not going to remove this threat
because the aim of these groups is to leverage themselves into a
position of power inside Pakistan and to take control."
A resolution of Kashmir dispute
between India and Pakistan would no longer satisfy LeT and it would
continue to pose a serious threat to both India and the western
world in particular the United States, top experts have told American
lawmakers. "There is no doubt in my mind that we have to find
ways to resolve the issues relating to Kashmir. But I think resolving
Kashmir is not going to solve the problems relating to LeT,"
Ashley J. Tellis, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, told US lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.
"I always find it interesting that the people conducting the
murder and mayhem (in the Valley) today are not Kashmiri. The people
who actually are deprived of all their political rights, they are
not conducting the murder and mayhem," Tellis added.
However, the eminent Pakistani scholar
and Director of South Asia Centre, the Atlantic Council of the United
States Shuza Nawaz said "resolving the Kashmir problem by itself
is not going to remove this threat because the aim of these groups
is to leverage themselves into a position of power inside Pakistan
and to take control," said. Both Nawaz and Tellis were responding
to concerns of the US Congressmen at the hearing if LeT would abandon
terrorism if Kashmir dispute was resolved given that LeT was initially
popped up by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan for
the specific purpose of targeting Kashmir and India in particular.
Pakistan-based terrorist outfit
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has identified as many as 320 targets across
the globe, 20 of which are in India, US Congressman Gary Ackerman
said, reports Times of India. "In the wake of the (26/11)
Mumbai attack, investigators uncovered in controller records and
e-mail accounts a list of 320 locations worldwide deemed by the
LeT as possible targets for attack. Only 20 of the targets were
located within India," Gary Ackerman said before a Congressional
hearing. "The LeT has been attacking US forces in Afghanistan
almost from day one and their forces are present throughout Afghanistan.
The LeT has been slaughtering Indians by the score for decades.
The LeT has put the world on notice that they intend to escalate
the carnage and spread it worldwide," he said. Noting that
it would be unfair and wrong to suggest that the LeT problem is
strictly confined to Pakistan and Middle East, he said, adding in
fact, one of the key facilitators of the Mumbai attack was an American
of Pakistani extraction, referring to David Coleman Headley. "Unfortunately,
the LeT enjoys a substantial global network stretching from the
Philippines to the United Kingdom," Ackerman added.
According to Ackerman, though after
9/11 Pakistan officially banned the LeT, the reality is that like
other Islamist terrorist groups, LeT maintains a clear public presence
and a vast recruiting network by providing extremely useful charitable
and social services to millions of impoverished people in that country.
"Public estimates suggest LeT operates some 2,000 offices in
towns and villages throughout Pakistan, as well as maintaining ties
with the Pakistani military. There is, in fact, no reason to doubt
that Pakistan''s military is likely paying compensation to the families
of the terrorists killed in the Mumbai attacks. These are our allies
in the war on terror," he informed. "Operational funding
for the LeT comes from charitable fundraising amongst the general
population in Pakistan, but also depends heavily upon contributions
by Pakistani businessmen living abroad and other wealthy individuals
from the Persian Gulf. Let us note too, these states are also our
allies in the war on terror," Ackerman said.
-
March 10: A Bangladeshi national
and his Kashmiri associate, both belonging to the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami
(HuJI) outfit, were sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court
for possessing explosives and waging war against country. Additional
Sessions Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma sentenced Mohammad Amin Wani,
a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, and Lutfur Rahman, the Bangladeshi
national who was reportedly to have received training at the instance
of Pakistan-based Jama''at-ud-Da''awa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, to
life imprisonment. Awarding the sentence, the judge said they did
not deserve capital punishment as the case was not the rarest of
rare. Wani (29) was arrested on January 4, 2007, from Seeshganj
Gurdwara in the old city area by Delhi Police''s special cell for
possessing INR 450000 hawala (informal money laundering system)
money. Rahman (30) was arrested from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway station
with 1.5 kilograms explosives and a timer. According to the Police,
the duo was in the capital to disrupt the January 26 Republic Day
function.
-
March 10: Terrorist outfit Indian
Mujahideen (IM) has set up bases not only in Karachi in Pakistan,
where its top leaders Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal are currently located,
but also has safe houses in Gulf countries, Nepal and Bangladesh,
interrogation of arrested IM cadres has revealed. Such bases normally
serve to house runaway IM leaders who operate from there to keep
the local jihadi network alive. They also offer temporary shelter
to IM recruits during transit between Pakistan, where they receive
their terror training, and India.
As per matching versions of IM operations
put out by Salman, arrested by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police from
Sidharthnagar District, Amjad Khawaja, arrested by the Hyderabad
Police and Shahzad, arrested from Azamgarh District in UP, IM cadres
were receiving training at the same facilities used by the LeT,
both in Karachi as well as other parts of Pakistan. However, the
focus of IM training is mostly bomb-making, unlike LeT cadres who
are trained to fire sophisticated arms and use guerrilla tactics.
However, IM cadres, recruited from various Indian locations including
Azamgarh, Bhatkal village near Mangalore in Karnataka and Hyderabad,
receive their training from serving as well as retired officers
of the Pakistani Army, who are referred to as ‘Bada Saheb’ and ‘Chhota
Saheb’. Incidentally, this is part of the Inter Services Intelligence
(ISI)-engineered ‘Karachi Project’ unveiled first by American terror
suspect David Coleman Headley. Under the ‘Karachi Project’, Indian
terror kingpins recruit jihadis from here and send them across to
Pakistan for training. Once trained, these cadres ex-filtrate through
the Jammu and Kashmir border or enter India via Nepal, Bangladesh
or UAE.
Further, Salman revealed that the
outfit’s new recruiting grounds are now in South India. Salman claimed
that hit hard by the arrest of its cadres between 2008 and 2009,
the IM has launched a fresh recruitment drive. Investigators said
that the terrorist outfit has traded its traditional bases in Uttar
Pradesh for South India. Investigators also adds that one of the
reasons for the IM to shift down south could be several arrests
from the Azamgarh District base and a constant scrutiny by intelligence
agencies.
Meanwhile, security agencies suspect
that several modules of such trained IM cadres may be currently
lying dormant, waiting to be activated by LeT ‘commanders’ who may
not be holed up in the Kashmir Valley. According to a senior intelligence
official, there are inputs of a tie-up between Pakistani Taliban
and LeT for attacks aimed at India, and their ‘commanders’ are possibly
already in Jammu and Kashmir — as evident from the various encounters
in the recent past. These commanders may only be waiting for the
right time to move beyond the Valley and activate the local IM modules
for logistical help to carry out more terror attacks. “IM is a potential
resource base that the LeT hopes to use right from identification
and reconnaissance of targets to arranging logistics for terror
attacks planned by it,” a senior intelligence official told Economics
Times.
The European Union’s (EU) counter-terrorism
coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, said that Pakistan-based LeT is
a "dangerous group" having a "global agenda",
Daily Excelsior reported. "We see Lashkar-e-Taiba as a very
dangerous organisation with a global agenda and not a local agenda,"
he explained. Apparently, referring to Pakistan he added, "It
is all but a good idea to fight India with proxy through terrorist
organisations." He was addressing a seminar on Yemen organised
by Carnegie in Brussels (Belgium).
-
March 9: Minister of State for Home
Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told Lok Sabha (Lower house of
parliament) in a written reply that the LeT and the Naxalites (Left-Wing
Extremist) had undertaken extensive recces in a bid to attack Central
Industrial Security Force (CISF) armouries located at power plants
in several States, reports Times of India. "Militant and terrorist
outfits had planned to target some power plants in Jammu and Kashmir,
Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and
Andhra Pradesh. Besides LeT, there are also reports of CPI (Maoist)
[Communist Party of India-Maoist] having undertaken extensive recces
to target CISF armoury located in some power plants," Ramachandran
said.
-
March 8: The Jammu and Kashmir Police
claimed that militant outfits Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) and
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) have been rooted out of the Jammu region.
The focus, they said, has now shifted to the LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM), who remain active. "HuJI and JeM were mostly active in
Kishtwar District and have been wiped out. Out of four HuJI militants,
three have been eliminated. The fourth has left the organisation
and is now working as a freelance journalist," said Ashok Gupta,
Inspector General of Police (IGP, Jammu Zone). Nearly 180 militants,
including 21 women, are still working in Doda and Kishtwar Districts,
Gupta said. "We worked on a strategy for winters and eliminated
more and more militants as they came down from the hills. With the
support of civilians, we were able to target militants, particularly
commanders," he said. This year, 17 militants have been killed
in Jammu, of whom 10 were HM commanders, the IGP claimed.
Arrested Indian Mujahideen (IM)
cadre and September 13, 2008 Delhi serial bomb blast accused Salman
Ahmed was remanded to eight-day Police custody. The investigators
claim that he has already provided some details of the LeT’s plans
to launch fresh attacks on Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. As reported
earlier, Ahmed was arrested on March 6 by the Anti Terrorist Squad
(ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police from Siddarth Nagar District. However,
Police claimed that they recovered a Nepali passport obtained under
a fake name and an international SIM card from Salman’s possession.
After his name cropped up in the bomb blast cases, Police claimed,
he moved to Nepal, where he reportedly got the passport issued in
June 2009. With the help of the passport, which was issued in the
name of Mohd Fahad Ansari, the IM operative travelled to Pakistan
and other countries. Ahmed is believed to have gone to Pakistan
in December 2009 and returned to Nepal in January 2010. According
to Police, Ahmed is an expert in carrying out blasts. He is also
alleged to have received training in handling weapons and explosives
during his stay in Pakistan.
Hafiz Saeed, the founder and 'chief'
of Lashkar-e-Taiba (also known as Jama'at-ud-Da'awa) and the alleged
mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, accused India of waging
water wars on Pakistan while addressing a public rally in Lahore.
He urged the Pakistani Government to prepare the country to counter
"Indian aggression" and called for launching a nation-wide
movement against India on the issue. Saeed maintained that India
has imposed war on Pakistan by "constructing illegal dams and
diverting water from Pakistani rivers".
-
March 7: The Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) denied Pakistan''s contention that LeT chief Hafiz
Saeed did not figure in the recent foreign secretary-level talks.
The MEA, in a statement said, "India has been demanding action
against Saeed, one of the masterminds of the Mumbai terrorist attack
[26/11], since the barbaric and dastardly attack took place."
Yet, on March 6 Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
declared that India had not asked for the arrest of Saeed nor did
he figure in the February 25 talks.
-
March 5: The Army and Police recovered
explosive devices and ammunition during a search operation at Peer
Kaleva forests near Dudasan Bala in Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri
District. A hide-out of the LeT outfit was destroyed during the
search operation, Police said. Recoveries made during the searches
include 30 grenades of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), six
hand grenades, 23 Pika rounds and three detonators.
The Police in Doda and Kishtwar
Districts have identified 15 young women, who have been actively
working for LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfits and were even
trying to motivate other ladies to join ranks of the militants.
Inputs developed by Police of Doda and Kishtwar through their Intelligence
network during past few days of winter have confirmed earlier intercepts
of some women’s support to the militants of two major outfits in
the two Districts.
-
March 4: Delhi Police sought death
penalty from a court against two Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI)
militants, including a Bangladeshi national, who have been convicted
of waging war against the country and possessing explosives. Public
Prosecutor Vinod Kumar Sharma argued for the capital punishment
against Mohammad Amin Wani, a Jammu and Kashmir resident, and Lutfur
Rahman, the Bangladeshi national who is reportedly to have received
training at the instance of Pakistan-based Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD)
chief Hafiz Saeed.
-
March 4: A Delhi court allowed the
National Investigating Agency (NIA) to interrogate a suspected LeT
militant as part of its probe against Pakistani born American national
David Coleman Headley charged with conspiring in November 26, 2008
Mumbai terrorist attacks. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja
allowed an application by the NIA seeking permission to examine
Mohammad Aslam who was arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell
from the Ajmeri Gate side of the New Delhi railway station on August
25, 2009.
-
March 2: Pakistan-based LeT was
blamed by an Afghan intelligence official for February 26, 2010
car bomb and suicide attacks that killed 16 people, including 9
Indians, in Kabul. Saeed Ansari, a spokesman for Afghanistan's intelligence
service, said that his agency has evidence that Pakistani nationals,
specifically LeT militants were involved in the attacks. "We
are very close to the exact proof and evidence that the attack on
the Indian guest house ... is not the work of the Afghan Taliban
but this attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba network, who
are dependent on the Pakistan military," Ansari said in an
interview. He also said that one of the attackers was heard speaking
Urdu. As reported earlier, the Afghan Taliban militants already
claimed responsibility for the attacks.
-
March 1: A LeT militant was arrested
in Baramulla District. Identified as Fayaz Ahmad Gojri alias Yasser,
he was arrested by Security Forces (SFs) in the Khawajabagh area.
An under barrel grenade launcher with two grenades were recovered
from him, Police said, adding, he was a resident of Mohalla Kadeem
in Baramulla.
25-year-old Abdhulla Unni, a resident
of Pakistan, is one of the most wanted LeT militants in Jammu and
Kashmir. He is reported to have dodged SFs eight times during encounters
in Sopore. Unni, the operational head of LeT, is the mastermind
behind all suicide attack operations in the region. “He is presently
the most wanted militant in north Kashmir and carries a reward of
Rs [INR] 10 lakh on his head,” said Deputy Inspector General of
Police (North Kashmir) Abdul Qayoom Manhas. Police said there were
more than 200 militants in North Kashmir which shares a very long
Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.
-
February 25: India submitted three
dossiers during foreign secretary level talk with Pakistan in New
Delhi, which Pakistan assured it would seriously examine. One dossier
provides information on some individuals associated with the November
26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) Mumbai attacks, the second was a
list of Indian fugitives sheltered in Pakistan and the third on
the Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD), chief Hafiz Saeed's anti-India statements.
India asked for 33 terrorists -- Pakistani nationals as well as
Indian fugitives, including two serving Pakistan army officers,
Major Iqbal and Major Samir Ali -- to be handed over, giving three
dossiers. In the meantime, Pakistan discussed India's involvement
in supplying weapons and money to insurgents in Balochistan which
India said was a "baseless allegation." Meanwhile, Pakistan
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir dismissed a strong Indian dossier
on Hafiz Saeed as "literature, not evidence", seriously
endangering the future of the engagement. He make light of India's
insistence on action against 26/11 masterminds, saying that Pakistan
did not want to be sermoned on terrorism.
-
February 23: Five top militants
and three Security Force (SF) personnel, including an Army officer,
were killed and three soldiers injured in a fierce 18-hour gun battle
between the SFs and militants in the Sopore town of Baramulla District.
Police sources said that on a tip-off the SFs cordoned off the Chinkipora
locality in Sopore. As they launched a house-to-house search, the
militants hiding there opened fire, triggering a gun battle. The
militants, the sources said, were hiding in three houses. Captain
Davinder Singh Jass got trapped in a house and was killed by militants.
His body, however, could not be retrieved till late in the evening.
Two soldiers Naik Selvakumar and Imtiaz Ahmad were also killed.
The slain militants included Bhasharat
of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Noman and Hamza of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
(HuM), Sallahuddin of LeT and a local militant Tauseef Mir, the
sources said. Lieutenant Colonel J. S. Brar said, "A few top
terrorists are believed to be injured or killed. The security forces
have lost three men including an officer. The operations are still
in progress." A civilian, identified as Rafiq Ahmad, was also
injured in cross fire. The daily added that all the killed militants
belonged to the LeT.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad
(ATS) detained another suspected militant in Gujarat as part of
the ongoing probe into the February 13 Pune (Maharashtra) bomb blast.
Sources said the suspected militant, identified as Faisal, was detained
in Aane near Surat. Faisal, who is believed to be an active cadre
of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) which also
maintains links with the LeT and Indian Mujahideen (IM), is being
questioned in connection with the Pune blast.
The National Defence Academy in
Khadagwasla (Maharashtra) and defence establishments in Pune (Maharashtra)
figure on LeT’s hit list, apart from civilian targets such as Osho
Ashram and Chabad House, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has
told the Government. According to FBI chief Robert Mueller, who
was in New Delhi to discuss co-operation in terror matters, American
terror suspect David Coleman Headley had extensively surveyed and
video graphed Army sites in Pune's cantonment area as well as the
Raksha Bhavan in New Delhi.
-
February 20: The most wanted militant
‘commander’ of the LeT in North Kashmir, Abdullah Yuni, managed
to escape for the fifth time in past four months from a cordon laid
by the SFs in Sopore area of Baramulla District. SFs laid cordon
around Warpora village in Sopore area since morning following credible
intelligence inputs about presence of some top LeT militants in
the village including Abdullah Yuni, official sources said. However,
before the SFs could complete cordon around the village, the militants
opened indiscriminate firing on them and escaped from the spot.
Yuni is an A-category militant and carried a cash reward of INR
2.5 million on his head.
-
February 19: Union Home Minister
P. Chidambaram said that all pending issues related to the November
26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) investigation
would be raised by India at foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan,
scheduled to be held on February 25. Noting that "specific
issues" to be taken up during the discussions were being finalised
by the Indian side, he said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
would like pending issues concerning the 26/11 case and investigation
to be part of it. The Home Minister also said his ministry would
go through the legal process to seek access to Pakistani-American
LeT operative David Coleman Headley, now lodged in a Chicago jail.
Asked if he favoured talks between
India and Pakistan despite the fact that Islamabad was yet to fulfil
the demand of dismantling terror infrastructure, the Home Minister
said it was the Government's decision of which he was a part. Reiterating
what Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna had stated, Chidambaram said,
"These talks are for talks." Responding to queries regarding
militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said while militancy
had come down, infiltration had increased.
-
February 16: A Delhi court convicted
two Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) militants, including
a Bangladeshi national, of possessing explosives, hawala (informal
money laundering system) money and waging war against the country,
charges which envisage death penalty as the maximum punishment.
Additional Sessions Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma held Mohd Amin Wani,
a Jammu and Kashmir resident, and Lutfur Rahman, the Bangladeshi
national, who is reportedly to have received training at the instance
of Pakistan-based Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, guilty
in the case. Both the convicts were charged under the various provisions
of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including those relating to waging
war against the country and other offences under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
-
February 16: An unknown Pakistan-based
terrorist outfit has claimed responsibility for the Pune bomb blast
that claimed 10 lives. Identifying himself as a spokesperson of
a group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Taiba al-Almi (LeT-al-Almi,
meaning international) an individual using the code-name ‘Abu Jindal’
said the bombing was carried out because of India's "refusal"
to discuss the Kashmir issue in the coming talks with Pakistan.
‘Abu Jindal’ said he was calling from Miramshah in North Waziristan,
and the telephone number used to make the call carried an area code
common to the Waziristan tribal area and Bannu, the adjoining District
in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. No past communiqué
was issued by the LeT- al-Almi, the existence of which has been
questioned. However, the caller - who appeared to be educated -
said the group had split from the LeT because it took orders from
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Another report adds that one so-called
Indian Mujahideen Kashmir outfit also claimed responsibility of
the attack through a text message sent to some media houses. Earlier,
al-Qaeda affiliated jihadi leader Illyas Kashmiri was reported to
have sent an e-mail to a Pakistani journalist, claiming responsibility
for the attack.
Meanwhile, Indian intelligence sources
said that the claims appeared intended to deflect attention from
the LeT, which is emerging as the principal suspect.
-
February 15: A self-styled 'district
commander' of the LeT Ashraf Moulvi and his close associate Rouf
Ahmad Bhat were killed in a gun battle with a joint search party
of Police and Army at Qaimoh in Kulgam District, 70 kilometres from
Srinagar in South Kashmir. The duo was affiliated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) but had recently switched over to the LeT which was revealed
by the documents recovered from them.
-
February 15: Pune Police Commissioner
Satyapal Singh at a press briefing informed that the toll in the
February 13 bomb blast has gone up to 10, after 24-year old Abhishek
Saxena from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh succumbed to his injuries.
The report confirms that altogether 10 persons, including two foreign
nationals, were killed and 60 others injured in the incident. Singh
further reaffirmed that RDX, ammonium nitrate and hydrocarbon oil
were used in the bomb blast. He, however, refused to confirm if
the bomb was remote-controlled, as being suspected.
Meanwhile, in the first breakthrough
in the bomb blast probe, investigators detained two suspects from
Kudalwadi and Janwadi on the outskirts of Pune city. They were picked
up after sleuths probing the case identified conversations between
suspected terrorists. It is also believed that these two men are
the same who were spotted in a hotel''s CCTV footage, located in
front of the blast-hit German Bakery. The footage showed the two
men entering the bakery with a bag.
Further, a television report also
claimed that two more persons were also detained in Aurangabad District.
In addition, the Union Government did not rule out the hand of a
foreign force in the Pune bomb blast. Union Home Secretary G.K.
Pillai said that the Government was waiting for the investigation
report which was in its initial stages. He said that terrorist activities
against India were planned in Pakistan but he would not jump the
gun in this attack till there was some critical evidence. The Union
Government believes that local terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen
(IM) could have been instigated by the LeT or Jama'at-ud-Da'awa
(JuD) in Karachi as some arrested operatives had said they were
shown videos made by David C Headley an American terror suspect
who is wanted by India in the 26/11 terror attacks case and is currently
under US custody including clips of the Osho Ashram in Pune. Pillai
also added that it was a part of the notorious ''Karachi Project''
which was aimed at attacking India.
-
February 14: Separately, a top LeT
militant, identified as Vashir Ahmed alias Abu Wakas, was killed
in an encounter with Security Forces in Rajouri District. Acting
on the tip off that a group of four militants, including top Pakistani
'commander' Abdullah Inqullabi, were operating in Chandroi-Triyath
belt of Kalakote belt in the District, a Police team led by Noushera
Superintendent of Police, Ramesh Kumar, and Rashtriya Rifles troops
had cordoned off the area. An AK rifle, two grenades and some magazines
were recovered from the possession of the slain militant.
-
February 13: Nine persons including
four foreigners, all women, were killed and over 40 injured in a
bomb blast in the famous German Bakery on North Main Avenue in Koregaon
Park near the Osho Ashram in Pune around 7.30 p.m. (IST). Unofficial
figures put the number of injured at 50. Initially the Police said
it was a gas cylinder blast, but the explosion is now suspected
to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) using an ammonium nitrate
fuel oil mix, with RDX as a booster, Police sources added. About
7 kilogrammes explosives may have been used. Chief Minister Ashok
Chavan said preliminary reports indicated that it was a bomb blast.
The bag containing the bomb was said to be under a table, according
to one eyewitness account, and a waiter is said to have tried to
open it. This caused the explosion which devastated the bakery,
located near the Jewish Chabad House. The bakery is a popular spot
with foreign tourists. Six or eight of the injured are said to be
foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, the Union Government
said the scene of Pune’s bomb blast was very close to Osho Ashram
which had been surveyed by LeT operative David Coleman Headley,
which the Maharashtra Government had been alerted about this in
the month of October, 2009. Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said
it was worth noting that the German Bakery, the site of the blast,
was about 200 yards away from the ashram, which was one of the sites
surveyed by Headley. The Lashkar operative visited Mumbai and other
parts of the country ahead of the November 26, 2008 terror attack.
Pillai said the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) had alerted the Maharashtra
Police about the survey done by Headley.
Further, one week before a bomb
went off in Pune’s German Bakery killing eight, the Jama'at-ud-Da'awa
(JuD), front organisation of the LeT, in Pakistan had warned of
the city being a potential target. Addressing a rally in Islamabad
on February 5, Abdur Rehman Makki, ‘deputy’ to JuD leader Hafiz
Saeed said that at one time, jihadis were interested only in the
liberation of Kashmir but the water issue had ensured that "Delhi,
Pune and Kanpur" were all fair targets.
-
February 11: The Army recovered
a cache of arms and ammunition belonging to the LeT at Keri of Manjakote
in Rajouri District. The recovery included four AK-47 rifles, 490
rounds, 14 magazines, nine UBGL grenades, 12 plastic hand grenades,
1.4 kilograms of explosive material, two radio sets, five pouches
and some incriminating documents.
-
February 7: Union Home Minister
P. Chidambaram described the Pakistan-based terrorist outfits as
“dark forces,” which were “implacably” opposed to India. They would
be defeated whenever confronted, he said. In his opening statement,
he said such militant groups as the LeT and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) staged a meeting at Muzaffarabad in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
(PoK) on February 4. “Their weapons are mayhem and violence, and
their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear
that these dark forces will not succeed in their designs,” Chidambaram
said.
-
February 5: Two top LeT ‘commanders’,
identified as Shah Din Khandey, a LeT ‘divisional commander’ and
Aslan, a Pakistani militant, were believed to have escaped from
an encounter at Badi Dhok in Gandoh area of Doda District. Police
recovered two 12 bore guns, two AK magazines, two pistol magazines
and 200 kilograms of ration from the encounter site.
The Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (JuD), front
organisation of the LeT, held a public meeting in Islamabad, vowing
to seize Kashmir by force and threatening “rivers of blood” in India.
In Lahore too, the JuD organised a public rally, led by its chief
Hafiz Saeed, alleged by India to have masterminded the Mumbai attacks.
The rally went from the JuD headquarters in Chauburji to the University
Grounds, where Hafiz Saeed led the participants in Friday prayers.
It proceeded to the famous Masjid-e-Shohada on Mall road, where
the second tier leadership of the group made anti-India speeches.
Saeed, however, did not speak at the public meeting. The meetings
were held alongside other country-wide events to mark Kashmir Solidarity
Day, annually observed in Pakistan on February 5. “Whenever our
jihad in Kashmir nears success, India becomes ready for talks,”
Abdur Rehman Makki, deputy to JuD leader Hafiz Saeed, told his audience,
mostly traders from the local market, students from madrassa (seminary)
and JuD activists bussed in from Rawalpindi. The JuD rally in the
capital was held at Aabpara chowk in the heart of the city, a short
walk from the barricaded headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI).
-
February 4: An anti-India jihadi
rally to express Yakjehti-e-Kashmir (Solidarity with Kashmir) was
organized in Muzaffarabad of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) by
the Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD), a banned frontal organization of the
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The meeting began on February 4 and is likely
to go on for a couple of days. The meeting is expected to be attended
by top jihadi leaders including Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘commander’
Syed Salahuddin and JuD leader Abdul Rehman Makki. The LeT ‘chief’
Hafiz Saeed, blamed by India as one of the main conspirators of
the 26/11 attacks, is expected to address a similar rally in Islamabad
on February 5 (today), an official said. Former chief of Pakistan's
Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Hamid Gul, an invitee to the conference,
said the Pakistan Government was aware about the jihadi rally. "…
If India is feeling unhappy, let them (be)," Gul said adding
that the meeting was "an important human cause" and India
should "face the reality in Kashmir".
-
February 3: In the biggest-ever
exercise to track down terror funding, the Enforcement Directorate
(ED) has registered around 30 cases across India in the last three
months against terrorists on charges of money laundering and waging
war against the country. It has also frozen many bank accounts,
and sealed properties allegedly acquired using terror funds. In
Delhi alone, 15 cases have been registered against terrorists such
as Jagar Singh Hawara, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant
accused in Delhi cinema hall blasts in 2005 and LeT militant Tarik
Ahmed Dar, reportedly involved in the Delhi Diwali bombings in Sarojini
Nagar in the same year. The ED has tracked down the Germany-based
source from which Hawara received INR 1.9 millions. Dar''s account
in Jammu and Kashmir Bank with a balance of INR 550000 has also
been sealed. Other terrorists against whom the ED has registered
cases include Mukhtar Ahmed Khan (arrested in Delhi with explosives
in 2007), Imran Ahmad Kirmani and Ghulam Rasool Bafanda (both arrested
for possessing RDX in Delhi in 2006). "All these cases are
based on FIRs [First Information Report] and charge sheets filed
by Delhi Police, the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] or other
security agencies. Our major focus this year would be on terrorist-related
financing," a senior ED official said.
-
February 3: Security Forces (SFs)
shot dead two top militants of the LeT outfit at Pati Mahal area
of Kishtwar District. One of them was identified as Nissar Ahmed
Shah alias Abu Maaz who was operating as 'district commander' of
the outfit. Recoveries made from the site of encounter include four
SIM cards, one AK-47 rifles with one magazine and a plastic bag
full of bullets, one pistol with four rounds, one wireless set,
one Nokia mobile phone, two diaries, 30 pencil cells and two grenades.
-
February 2: Reasi District Police
arrested two Over Ground Workers (OGWs), identified as Ghulam Mohammad
and Zakir Hussain, of the LeT from Mahore area. An Improvised Explosive
Device (IED) was recovered from their possession. The duo was resident
of Dubri in Mahore.
-
February 1: The Mumbai Police investigators
said that they might have identified Indian LeT operative who played
a key role in guiding the operations of the team that attacked Mumbai
in November 26, 2008. Based on information provided by India's intelligence
services, as well as interrogation with arrested jihadis, Police
believe the Indian national in the LeT's control room could be Syed
Zabiuddin Syed Zakiuddin Ansari, a LeT-linked Maharashtra resident,
who has been a fugitive since 2005. The unidentified Indian operative
was one of several LeT militants who used Voice-Over-Internet Protocol
(VOIP) links to provide orders to the assault team. Meanwhile, Indian
intelligence agencies said that Ansari, operating out of terrorist
camps in Karachi in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK),
is a key figure in the jihadi group's plan to realise the threat
he ordered the assault team to deliver.
Mohammad Amjad Khwaja, a militant
of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) from Hyderabad has told
his interrogators that Abu Jindal was the alias of Syed Zabiuddin
Ansari, a LeT operative from Beed in Maharashtra. The name Abu Jindal
was earlier revealed by lone arrested militant Kashab during investigation.
Ansari alias Abu Jindal, along with several other fugitive jihadis,
has been sheltered in Pakistan by the Inter Services Intelligence
(ISI)-LeT combine as part of their Karachi project to target India
by using its own nationals. Khwaja pointed to Ansari after Police
played recordings of the conversation between Jindal and the two
militants who had attacked Chabad House in Mumbai.
-
January 28: Reacting to Pakistani
investigators admission of LeT’s role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks,
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that LeT operations commander
Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is only one of the 26/11 masterminds, adding
that there are other masterminds also, reported Times of India.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Chidambaram said, "Lakhvi
is one of the masterminds. There are others. We know their names
and we think Pakistan also knows their names. If they do not bring
others to trial then I would have to conclude reluctantly and regrettably
that they are still dragging their feet."
The Union Home Minister Chidambaram
strongly refuted Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Gilani''s
claim that there was insufficient evidence on Jama’at-ud-Da’awa
(JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed''s links to 26/11, saying that even a "station
officer can begin an investigation" on the basis of the information
given to Pakistan. Chidambaram said fresh information had been given
to Pakistan by the US apart from what had been gleaned from LeT
gunman Ajmal Kasab. "What can I do if a government closes its
eyes to the evidence," he said. Despite India''s demand, no
charges were pressed against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed. India has also
asked Pakistan to identify state actors involved in 26/11, but Pakistan
has not mentioned any role of state actors in its reports.
Meanwhile, Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza
Gilani denied Indian accusations that his Government was dragging
its feet on booking the prime accused of the 26/11 Mumbai terror
attacks, saying the alleged chief architect Hafiz Saeed was very
much on trial and the court had to decide when to order his arrest.
But Gilani also reiterated that India was not giving it enough information
to act against Saeed. Gilani said Pakistan''s judiciary had to take
a call on Saeed''s arrest. "We need more evidence to (take)
him to task," he told CNN-IBN in his first interview to Indian
media after 26/11. The Pakistan PM maintained that his country wouldn''t
allow its soil to be used for terrorism. "We''ve given this
assurance. We''re fighting our own war on terror (and) face Mumbai
like attacks on a daily basis." Gilani pledged to share credible
information with India and sought reciprocation from New Delhi to
prevent Mumbai-like attacks. "We''re ready to share information
with India. Let us start sharing more information and work together
in the war on terror," he added. The Pakistan PM clarified
his recent comments on Pakistan''s inability to prevent another
Mumbai-like attack, saying it was in reaction to some of the Indian
leadership''s comments. "Your leaders are saying that if there
is any incident in future, there is no difference between state
and non-state actors which isn''t right," he said.
The Pakistani PM also said India
and Pakistan can''t afford war and reiterated Islamabad''s call
for resumption of talks. Despite repeated rebuttals, Gilani claimed
that he was convinced of India''s role in fomenting trouble in Balochistan.
"I''ll share the evidence at an appropriate time."
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January 27: Pakistani investigators
said that there is "sufficient incriminating evidence against"
the seven arrested terrorists for their involvement in the Mumbai
(India) terrorist strikes on November 26, 2008, reports Times of
India. The Pakistan report presented to the court conducting the
trial of seven accused, including LeT operations commander Zakiur
Rehman Lakhvi, states that there is "sufficient incriminating
evidence on record against those arrested for orchestrating the
Mumbai attacks." Pakistani investigators in a report to an
anti-terrorism court also corroborated the statement made by Ajmal
Amir Kasab, the lone LeT militant arrested during the 26/11 terrorist
attacks in Mumbai.
The Federal Investigation Agency
(FIA) report said there is enough evidence to prosecute all the
seven accused, who are in custody. Among them is Hammad Amin Sadiq,
who gave out funds and safe houses for the terrorists. Zakhiur Rehman
Lakhvi has been named as the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack.
Abu-al-Qama, has been identified as the terrorists’ handler, who
trained Kasab and the nine others who attacked Mumbai. Zarar Shah,
has been named as the Lashkar''s facilitator in the reports and
is also an expert in computer networks. Reports identify Shahid
Jamil Riaz as a crew member of one of the boats used by Kasab and
gang to travel from Karachi to Indian waters. Jami Ahamd has been
identified as the man who partially financed the Mumbai terror plot
and Muhammad Younas Anjum has been named as the chief financer of
the terror strikes.
The report said: "The joint
investigation team headed by the Director of the Special Investigation
Group of the Federal Investigation Agency has scrutinised the entire
evidence collected during the inquiry." It also collected evidence
"during the investigation and has unanimously agreed that substantial
incriminating evidence is available on the record directly connecting
all the accused persons with the commission of the offence."
The 61-page report, which was compiled by a team of experts led
by FIA officials, was presented to the anti-terror court in Rawalpindi
in July 2009. It contains the photographs of all the accused, including
those who are still at large and have been declared "proclaimed
offenders." Those who are still at large include crew members
of the Al-Fauz and Hussaini, the two boats used by the ten terrorists
who attacked India''s financial hub. The report also contains a
list of 150 documents and items of evidence, including proof and
information provided by India. Investigators had also corroborated
Kasab''s statement about his family and his native village of Faridkot
in Pakistan''s Punjab province by collecting records from his school
and local voters'' list. The report concluded that all the accused
should be convicted because there is sufficient incriminating evidence
against them. Diplomatic sources said that the report made public
by the news channel did not contain any information that was not
included in the dossiers provided by Islamabad to New Delhi.
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January 22: Security was beefed
up at airports across the country after intelligence inputs suggests
that Pakistan-based terrorists outfits LeT and other al Qaeda-linked
terrorists are planning to hijack aeroplanes, reports Times of India.
The intelligence input about these outfits'' plan has been shared
with India by Western intelligence agencies, which had received
an intercept. The information prompted authorities to put flights
of Air India and other Indian carriers operating in South Asia on
high security alert. The input pointed out that the terrorists were
planning to hijack an Air India plane especially operating to or
from (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries
- Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan
and India as well. More specifically, the input pointed that the
hijacking could be attempted from airports located at Yangon (Myanmar),
Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Colombo (Sri Lanka).
Meanwhile, another intelligence
input said that LeT is ready to carry out airborne suicide attacks
using para-gliders in India. The outfit has already acquired more
than 50 para-gliding equipment, which can be quickly assembled and
used as ‘missiles’ from open highland areas or from over 300 of
unused/unmanned airstrips in the country. The intelligence input
— which came barely days ahead of the Republic Day celebrations
— on LeT’s shopping spree for para-gliding equipment in different
European countries, including Germany, prompted authorities to ensure
tight air security around all vital installations and nearly 326
unmanned, abandoned or mostly unused airstrips spread across the
country. The inputs also suggest the possibility of LeT acquiring
related equipment — possibly Chinese make — from within Pakistan.
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January 20: The Police arrested
six cadres of LeT, including a Special Police Officer (SPO), while
a Police head constable, Devinder Kumar Singh aka DK was absconding
for their involvement in selling weapon(s) to LeT militants in Bhaderwah
tehsil (revenue unit) of Doda District. LeT ‘District commander’
Mohammad Rashid alias Aslan, operating in upper reaches of Bhaderwah,
is reported to be the beneficiary of weapon(s) sold by the cops.
So far, the arrested LeT cadre has admitted having sold a revolver
to Aslan for INR 35,000.
After the smuggling of satellite
telephone and Pakistani SIM cards from across the Line of Control
(LoC) in cross-LoC bus service and trucks used for trade, the intelligence
agencies unearthed a Pakistan plot to mix AK bullets with almonds
imported by the traders on Indian side. Official sources said that
Intelligence agencies found AK bullets mixed with a consignment
of almonds.
The Police have recommended dismissal
of absconding head constable Devinder Kumar Singh alias DK from
the services for selling weapons to militants especially LeT ‘district
commander’ Mohammad Rashid alias Aslan in Doda District.
According to reliable sources, DK is also reported to have provided
ammunition to two LeT militants, Javed Qureshi and Manzoor Ahmed.
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January 19: Bihar Police said Ghulam
Rasool, who was arrested from a train at Purnia Junction, is a member
of Taliban and has links with the LeT. Purnia Superintendent of
Police (SP) Nayyar Hasnain Khan said Rasool sneaked into Jogbani
from Nepal and was on his way to Bangladesh. Acting on a tip-off,
however, the Special Task Force (STF) personnel arrested him in
the evening of January 12.
Rasool, the SP said, has his base
at Hyderabad. A murder convict, he was in a Hyderabad jail for eight-and-a-half
year - in two phases. It was while serving the jail term that he
came in touch with a fellow prisoner, Mehmood, who was a Talibani.
On his release, Rasool shifted to Afghanistan, the SP said. Rasool
is learned to have told his interrogators that he worked as an operative
of Taliban and LeT between 2004 and 2008. He also confessed to his
involvement in several terror strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
Police sources said and added Rasool later escaped to Nepal where
he was once handpicked by Nepal police but let off for want of evidence.
Rasool also revealed that he wanted to return to Afghanistan via
Bangladesh. "That's why he clandestinely crossed into Jogbani
taking advantage of the long and porous Bihar-Nepal border,"
the SP said.
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January 18: The Special investigation
Team (SIT) of Hyderabad Police arrested ‘south India commander’
of the LeT, identified as Shaik Abdul Khaja alias Amjad, from Afzalgunj
area of the city. The Police said that the arrestee was linked to
Mohammed Abdul Shahid Bilal, key suspect in the May 2007 Mecca Masjid
bombing. Hyderabad Police Commissioner B. Prasada Rao said that
Amjad was a resident of Moosaram Bagh and has been absconding since
2005. Amjad, who also goes by the noms de guerre of Saif, Pappu
and Abdullah, is accused of having close links with other terrorist
groups like the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM), Rao said, adds The Hindu. Rao also mentioned that Amjad was
in Hyderabad for a recce for a terrorist attack. At the time of
his arrest, he had in his possession USD 348, Saudi Riyal 313, United
Arab Emirates Dirham 225 PNR 28,640 and BNR 348, Rao said.
Under the cover of dense fog, militants
made two attempts to infiltrate from the International Border (IB)
near Octroi Post in Suchetgarh sector of RS Pura tehsil (revenue
unit) of Jammu District. One of the groups succeeded in cutting
a part of fencing on Pakistan side but the intrusion bids were foiled
at both places by the Border Security Force (BSF). In both attempts,
the number of infiltrators was between five to seven. This was third
incident of infiltration on the IB where the militants have succeeded
in cutting fencing during past fortnight. The intruders had also
managed to cut the fencing at Kanachak and Chinore (Gajansoo) sectors.
According to intelligence reports, a large number of militants were
camping close to Pakistan Army and Rangers' posts across IB and
Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region awaiting an opportunity to
infiltrate. In some cases, the militants were reported to have been
lodged in forward posts of Pakistan Army and BSF.
The Pakistan Army violated cease-fire
in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch District on the LoC apparently
in an attempt to push infiltrators. Official sources said Pakistan
Army opened heavy firing from their Kaddu post targeting forward
Indian post, Kranti and others at Nangi Tekri in Krishna Ghati sector
of Poonch.
The Army and Police recovered six
anti tank rockets and other explosive devices from forest area of
Pyas Chhichha in Kishtwar District. This is for the first time that
anti tank rockets have been recovered by Police in the District.
The recovery included six anti tank rockets, six wireless sets,
two grenades of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) and two HE
grenades. The unique anti tank rifle grenades carried 70 per cent
RDX and 30 per cent TNT mixture and were capable of causing extensive
damage. Police said the LeT cadres appeared to have dumped the rockets
and explosives.
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January 17: Two regular visitors
to Poonch from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) having links with
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and LeT have been detained
under Public Safety Act (PSA). The visitors, who were arrested in
November and December 2009, have been lodged in Kot Bhalwal jail.
Poonch Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Manmohan Singh, confirmed
detention of PoK citizens under the PSA by the District Magistrate
on a dossier prepared by Poonch Police.
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January 12: Two LeT militants were
sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment each by a Delhi
court for possessing RDX in connection with a conspiracy to carry
out a suicide attack at the Indian Military Academy in 2005, Hindustan
Times reported. Convicts Hamid Hussain and Mohd Shariq, who were
arrested with about 10 kilograms of RDX, were also fined of INR
125000 and INR130000 respectively.
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January 10: The security of 10 scientists
working in sensitive areas, like defence and space, has been tightened
in the wake of threats from Pakistan-based LeT. The scientists,
who have not been identified, were mentioned by Sarfaraz Nawaz,
an accused in the July 2008 Bangalore bomb blasts, during interrogation.
However, the information was also corroborated by LeT's point man
in South India T. Nazir. Sources said that a security review was
carried out, and it was decided to take no chances.
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January 9: Handwara Police arrested
one Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the LeT from Kralgund area of Kupwara
District and recovered some arms and ammunition form his possession,
a Police spokesman said. Fayaz Ahmad Mir alias Ibrahim, a resident
of Sheikhpora village in Rafiabad area of Baramulla District, was
arrested at Bicharwara in Kralgund area. One wireless set, four
IED timers, one remote control and 20 AK rounds were recovered from
his possession.
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January 8: Two LeT militants were
shot dead by the Security Forces (SFs) during an encounter at Khrew
area in Pulwama District. They were identified as Altaf Ahmad Mir
alias Mohsin and Zahoor Ahmad Mir alias Haroon. Some arms and ammunition,
including AK rifles, were recovered from the encounter site. A Police
spokesman said that both the militants were part of the break away
group of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit which had joined the
LeT in 2009 and had been instrumental in strengthening of the LeT.
They had developed a strong base in Srinagar and South Kashmir,
the spokesman said. He said the duo was wanted by the Police for
their involvement in a number of terrorist acts, including the car
bomb blast outside the Central Jail Srinagar and killing of two
Policemen at Pampore in 2009. "By killing the duo, the police
has solved the Kathidarwaza IED [Improvised Explosive Device] blast
case and the Pampore shoot out case," he added.
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January 8: A militant threw a consignment
of arms, explosives, a Pakistani SIM card and cash from atop the
fencing in Arnia sector, but it was seized by the Border Security
Force immediately. This was second time in less than a fortnight
that the militants, with active backing of Pakistan Rangers, threw
arms and explosives from atop the fencing to this side of the International
Border (IB), reportedly for the militants or their couriers.
The Centre expressed its firmness
in continuing with its decision to ban pre-paid mobile services
in Jammu and Kashmir saying that these type of connections were
popular among terrorists and have been used to detonate landmines
targeting the Army convoys in the State, reports Times of India.
In addition, the Union Government
said the country, especially Jammu and Kashmir, remains vulnerable
to militant attacks sponsored by forces from across the border.
Complimenting the State Police and Central Reserve Police Force
for successfully eliminating two militants in Lal Chowk area of
Srinagar on January 6, the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said
the militants were in communication with their handlers outside
the country. "The incident highlights the fact that the country,
especially Jammu and Kashmir, remains vulnerable to militant attacks
sponsored by forces from across the border," he said in a statement.
The Union Home Minister said at the same time the country''s capacity
to neutralise a militant attack has also increased considerably.
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January 7: The 22-hour long operation
against two militants holed up in a hotel at Lal Chowk in Srinagar
ended as both the militants of the LeT were killed, taking the death
toll in the first major militancy related incident of the year to
four. One Policeman was killed in the initial attack on January
6 while a civilian injured in the firing succumbed to injuries early
in the morning of January 7. At least 12 persons including three
CRPF personnel and a photo-journalist of a Valley-based English
newspaper were also injured in the operation spread over two days,
official sources said. "The encounter is over. Two terrorists
of Lashkar-e-Taiba including a Pakistani have been killed,"
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda said.
While one Pakistani terrorist was identified by security agencies
through wireless intercepts as Qari, the other one was named as
Usman from Sopore. The radical pro-Pakistan militant outfit JuM
had claimed responsibility for the attack but the Security Forces
(SFs) said this was clearly the handiwork of Pakistan-based LeT.
An attempt by seven to eight LeT
militants to infiltrate into Indian territory from Balakote sector
in Mendhar tehsil (revenue unit) of Poonch District in the night
was foiled by the troops.
According to intelligence agencies,
a 9/11-type terrorist attack using hijacked aeroplanes stares India
in the face with an Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist having acquired
pilot training and waiting to strike. Intelligence Bureau (IB) sources
said that Shahzad Ahmed alias Pappu, one of the key accused in the
September 13, 2008 Delhi bomb blasts case, learnt to fly planes
in Bangalore and could now be planning to ute an airborne terror
strike. A dozen other trained IM terrorists are also at large and,
together with Shahzad, pose a big security threat. Shahzad underwent
pilot training just before the Delhi bomb blasts and has been absconding
since the Batla House encounter. The IB has raised the alert levels
of an airborne terrorist attack and is trying to unravel Shahzad''s
sinister plans.(Meanwhile, according to intelligence inputs, the
LeT and IM, along with Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI),
could attempt to kidnap key political leaders, target helicopters
carrying VIPs, strike public functions with explosives-laden trucks
and hire or hijack aircraft or helicopters to carry out 9/11-type
attacks.
An attempt by seven to eight LeT
militants to infiltrate into Indian territory from Balakote sector
in Mendhar tehsil (revenue unit) of Poonch District was foiled by
the troops.
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January 6-7: The 22-hour long operation
against two militants holed up in a hotel at Lal Chowk in Srinagar
ended as both the militants of LeT were killed, taking the death
toll in the first major militancy related incident of the year to
four. One Policeman was killed in the initial attack while a civilian
injured in the firing succumbed to injuries. At least 12 persons
including three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and
a photo-journalist of a Valley-based English newspaper were also
injured in the operation spread over two days, official sources
said. "The encounter is over. Two terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba
including a Pakistani have been killed," Jammu and Kashmir
Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda said. While one Pakistani
terrorist was identified by security agencies through wireless intercepts
as Qari, the other one was named as Usman from Sopore. The radical
pro-Pakistan militant outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JuM) had claimed
responsibility for the attack but the Security Forces (SFs) said
this was clearly the handiwork of Pakistan-based LeT. Meanwhile,
the Pakistan Army is reported to have set a vast portion of grass
on fire on its side opposite Balakote sector in Mendhar tehsil (reenue
unit) of Poonch District with a view to divert attention of SFs
on this side. The fire spread into Indian territory leading to a
series of mine explosions on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).
Official sources said there was no immediate threat to civilian
population on Indian side as the fire was still across fencing but
added that it was spreading very fast as there was a huge growth
of ‘sarkanda’ and grass on either side of the LoC. There were specific
inputs that fire, which spread from Pakistan Army’s posts of Kandli
and Khara opposite Balakote sector, was a deliberate act of the
Pakistan Army to keep LoC active for some days as there was no way
to control the flames.
Further, as many as 700 fully-trained
terrorists are waiting in the wings to stage attacks in Jammu and
Kashmir with their "masters" in Pakistan directing them
to open "other fronts" as they did in the busy Lal Chowk
area in Srinagar, reports Times of India.
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February 5: The Jama’at-ud-Da’awa
(JuD), front organisation of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), held a public
meeting in Islamabad, vowing to seize Kashmir by force and threatening
“rivers of blood” in India. In Lahore too, the JuD organised a public
rally, led by its chief Hafiz Saeed, alleged by India to have masterminded
the Mumbai attacks. The rally went from the JuD headquarters in
Chauburji to the University Grounds, where Hafiz Saeed led the participants
in Friday prayers. It proceeded to the famous Masjid-e-Shohada on
Mall road, where the second tier leadership of the group made anti-India
speeches. Saeed, however, did not speak at the public meeting. The
meetings were held alongside other country-wide events to mark Kashmir
Solidarity Day, annually observed in Pakistan on February 5. “Whenever
our jihad in Kashmir nears success, India becomes ready for talks,”
Abdur Rehman Makki, deputy to JuD leader Hafiz Saeed, told his audience,
mostly traders from the local market, students from madrassa (seminary)
and JuD activists bussed in from Rawalpindi. The JuD rally in the
capital was held at Aabpara chowk in the heart of the city, a short
walk from the barricaded headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI).
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January 5: A US Congressional report
released identified Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company as a "5,000-member
criminal syndicate operating mostly in Pakistan, India, and the
United Arab Emirates," which has a "strategic alliance"
with Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence
agency, and has "forged relationships with Islamists, including
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and al Qaeda." The report, prepared by
the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the research wing of Congress,
is aimed at priming US lawmakers on various issues, and has no immediate
policy implications. The US Department of Treasury has already designated
Ibrahim as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2006
and former President Bush designated him, as well as his D-Company,
as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker under the Foreign
Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The report also notes that some
press accounts have reported that Ibrahim’s network might have provided
a boat to the 10 LeT militants who 26/11 Mumbai attack and records
that the "US Government contends that D-Company has found common
cause with Al Qaeda and shares its smuggling routes with that terrorist
group."
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January 4-5: An anti-India jihadi
rally to express Yakjehti-e-Kashmir (Solidarity with Kashmir) was
organized in Muzaffarabad of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) by
the Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD), a banned frontal organization of the
LeT. The meeting was expected to be attended by top jihadi leaders
including Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘commander’ Syed Salahuddin and
JuD leader Abdul Rehman Makki. The LeT ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed, blamed
by India as one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks, is
expected to address a similar rally in Islamabad, an official said.
Former chief of Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Hamid
Gul, an invitee to the conference, said the Pakistan Government
was aware about the jihadi rally. "… If India is feeling unhappy,
let them (be)," Gul said adding that the meeting was "an
important human cause" and India should "face the reality
in Kashmir".
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January 28: Reacting to Pakistani
investigators admission of Lashkar-e-Tobia’s (LeT) role in the 26/11
Mumbai attacks, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that LeT
operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is only one of the 26/11
masterminds, adding that there are other masterminds also. Speaking
to reporters in New Delhi, Chidambaram said, "Lakhvi is one
of the masterminds. There are others. We know their names and we
think Pakistan also knows their names. If they do not bring others
to trial then I would have to conclude reluctantly and regrettably
that they are still dragging their feet."
Further, Home minister Chidambaram
strongly refuted Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Gilani''s
claim that there was insufficient evidence on Jama’at-ud-Da’awa
(JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed''s links to 26/11, saying that even a "station
officer can begin an investigation" on the basis of the information
given to Pakistan. Chidambaram said fresh information had been given
to Pakistan by the US apart from what had been gleaned from LeT
gunman Ajmal Kasab. "What can I do if a government closes its
eyes to the evidence," he said. Despite India''s demand, no
charges were pressed against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed. India has also
asked Pakistan to identify state actors involved in 26/11, but Pakistan
has not mentioned any role of state actors in its reports.
Meanwhile, Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza
Gilani denied Indian accusations that his Government was dragging
its feet on booking the prime accused of the 26/11 Mumbai terror
attacks, saying the alleged chief architect Hafiz Saeed was very
much on trial and the court had to decide when to order his arrest.
But Gilani also reiterated that India was not giving it enough information
to act against Saeed. Gilani said Pakistan''s judiciary had to take
a call on Saeed''s arrest. "We need more evidence to (take)
him to task," he told CNN-IBN in his first interview to Indian
media after 26/11. The Pakistan PM maintained that his country wouldn''t
allow its soil to be used for terrorism. "We''ve given this
assurance. We''re fighting our own war on terror (and) face Mumbai
like attacks on a daily basis." Gilani pledged to share credible
information with India and sought reciprocation from New Delhi to
prevent Mumbai-like attacks. "We''re ready to share information
with India. Let us start sharing more information and work together
in the war on terror," he added. The Pakistan PM clarified
his recent comments on Pakistan''s inability to prevent another
Mumbai-like attack, saying it was in reaction to some of the Indian
leadership''s comments. "Your leaders are saying that if there
is any incident in future, there is no difference between state
and non-state actors which isn''t right," he said.
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January 21: The Hyderabad Police
claimed to have arrested three militants of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD)
outfit by foiling a robbery bid in a house in the limits of the
Cantonment Police Station.
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January 14: The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD),
front organisation of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has declared suicide
bombings un-Islamic and said those involved in killing of Muslims
were playing in the hands of the US, India and Israel. "Gun,
grenade and suicide attack is no solution to any problem in Pakistan,"
said JuD Central Vice-President Colonel (retd) Nazir Ahmad Chaudhry
while speaking at a news conference in Peshawar. "Islam does
not allow attack on a Muslim, let alone suicide attack," he
said.
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January 4: Bihar Police denied the
media reports of Taliban and LeT terrorists infiltration into the
State from Nepal side, reports Times of India. Additional Director
General (ADG) (headquarters) U.S. Dutt wondered where from the media
got such information. "There is no such indication from the
Central intelligence agency either," he said. He said that
a man was killed in Nepal side across Araria District and the killers
are suspected to have entered Bihar. Apparently this led to speculations
about terrorists moving in Bihar, Dutt added. As for the threat
to Indian Railways, meanwhile, sources said an ADG-rank police officer
in Kerala received an anonymous call recently. The caller identified
himself as Bashir and said trains and railway properties would be
targeted. The caller did not give any specific details about the
location of the target. As a precautionary measure, the Union Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) circulated a nationwide warning to the Railway
Police.
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January 1: The Police arrested an
operative of the LeT outfit in Srinagar and recovered INR 200,000
hawala money from his possession. Srinagar Police arrested a LeT
operative has been identified as Parvaiz Akbar Lone, resident of
Kanlibagh in Baramulla District. Police freezed two of his accounts
which were being used for funding militant activities, a Police
spokesman said. Parvaiz had so far passed on more than INR 2 million
to self styled LeT commanders Abdullah Uni and Chota Salahuddin
and was also in contact with top LeT operatives. Initial investigations
done by the Police revealed that some of the money was used to organize
stone pelting incidents in Sopore, the spokesman said, adding that
investigation had also revealed the names of few more persons, who
were funding militants, and more arrests are expected in this regard.
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