Srinagar: One of the three militants killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Pulwama district on Monday night is the nephew of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Moulana Masood Azhar.
Also, for the first time in the three-decade old militancy in the state, an American M4 Carbine Colt rifle has been found on the slain militants, besides one AK 47 Draco and a pistol along with live ammunition.
Major General B.S. Raju, who heads Victor Force and is responsible for security in south Kashmir and parts of Budgam and Bandipore, said Pakistan’s special forces use M4 carbine rifles and it is likely that they supplied the weapon to the JeM.
One of the three terrorists gunned down by security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district is believed to be the son of Abdul Rauf, the key conspirator behind the 1999 hijacking of an Air India plane and brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Moulana Masood Azhar, a senior Union home ministry official said on Tuesday.
The killed militants have been identified as Mehmood Bhai, the so-called divisional commander of Jaish in the south; Tallah Rashid, Masood Azhar’s nephew; and Wasim Ahmed Ganie.
A Jaish spokesperson identifying himself as Hassan Shah sent a statement to local news agencies claiming that one of the slain militants was Tallah Rashid, the nephew of Moulana Masood Azhar.
