India says mastermind of Kashmir bombing killed in clash

He's one of three Pakistani militants killed, following last week's suicide hit in Kashmir

Indian army soldiers on patrol yesterday near the site of last Thursday's bomb attack in Pulwama, Kashmir. The suicide attack has sparked outrage in India with calls for revenge circulating on social media and rising animosity towards Kashmiri Muslim
Indian army soldiers on patrol yesterday near the site of last Thursday's bomb attack in Pulwama, Kashmir. The suicide attack has sparked outrage in India with calls for revenge circulating on social media and rising animosity towards Kashmiri Muslims in other parts of the Hindu-majority country. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

SRINAGAR (India) • Indian security forces yesterday killed three militants, including the suspected organiser of a suicide bombing in the disputed region of Kashmir that has fuelled tensions between India and Pakistan, police said.

The suicide bomb attack on a paramilitary police convoy in Indian-controlled Kashmir last Thursday killed at least 40 men, the deadliest single attack on Indian forces in 30 years of insurgency in the Muslim-majority region.

The Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack. India accuses Pakistan of harbouring the group. Pakistan denies that. Both countries have nuclear arms.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, facing an election that must be held by May, is under domestic pressure for decisive action against Pakistan. He has promised a strong response and says he has given the military a free hand to tackle cross-border militancy.

The three militants killed in the clash yesterday were all Pakistani nationals and members of JeM, two security sources said. "The encounter is still in progress and the security forces are on the job," police said in a statement.

But the fighting, which ended after 17 hours, came at a cost for India's security services. Four Indian soldiers and a policeman were killed, while nine troops were wounded. A civilian was also killed.

Security sources said one of the dead militants had been identified as Abdul Rashid Gazi, who went by the alias Kamran Bhai. It is believed he played a leading role in organising last Thursday's attack.

Indian troops had earlier cordoned off Pinglan village in Kashmir's Pulwama district, where the attack took place.

On Sunday, police said Indian forces had detained 23 men suspected of links to the militants who carried out the bombing.

Kashmir is at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan. They both claim it in full but rule it in part.

India withdrew trade privileges offered to Pakistan after the bomb attack and has warned of further action.

The United States has told India it supported its right to defend itself against cross-border attacks, New Delhi said last Saturday.

With tensions mounting, Pakistan has withdrawn its envoy to India for consultations, a spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on Twitter yesterday.

Last Thursday's bomb attack has sparked outrage in India with calls for revenge circulating on social media, and rising animosity towards Kashmiri Muslims in other parts of the Hindu-majority country, to the alarm of rights groups.

"We are at a dangerous moment and the authorities must do everything they can to uphold the rule of law," said Mr Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty India.

The All India Cine Workers Association has called for a "total ban" on Pakistanis working in India's film industry, though most have been blacklisted from Bollywood since a similar attack in Kashmir in 2016, in which 19 soldiers died.

The Confederation of All India Traders called for a nationwide strike to protest against the attack, and footage from Reuters partner ANI showed shuttered shops in several states yesterday.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 19, 2019, with the headline India says mastermind of Kashmir bombing killed in clash. Subscribe