Who is Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, an IED Expert And Mastermind of Pulwama Attack?
Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, who had expertise in developing improvised explosive devices or IED, planned the attack on CRPF convoy that took place on February 14.
Srinagar, February 18: Four days after Pulwama terror strike, security forces gunned down two Jaish-e-Mohammed commander, including Abdul Rasheed Ghazi alias Kamran who is said to be the brain behind the attack on a CRPF convoy. While Abdul Rasheed Ghazi was a Pakistani national, another militant killed has been identified as Hilal Ahmed, a local. The two terrorists were killed in a 12-hour-long encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.
According to reports, Ghazi, who had expertise in developing improvised explosive devices or IED, planned the attack on CRPF convoy that took place on February 14. Ghazi was sent to Kashmir in December last year to avenge the killings of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar's nephews - Talha Rasheed and Usman Haider. Rasheed and Haider were killed by security forces in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Pulwama Terror Attack: How CRPF Jawans Fell in JeM Trap.
After Usman's killing, the JeM had released a statement vowing to avenge killings of Azhar's nephews. Ghazi, an Afghan war veteran, then infiltrated into the Valley on December 9 and reached Pulwama by December-end, travelling mostly on foot and public transport, a TOI report, based on intelligence inputs, said. Ghazi had had a narrow escape during an encounter which took place days before Pulwama terror attack.
Ghazi, who joined JeM more than a decade ago, reportedly trained Adil Ahmad Dar who rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into the CRPF convoy. He received training for warfare and IED preparation by the Taliban. The JeM wanted to carry out the attack around February 9, the death anniversary of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru.
In the worst ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in 1989, a suicide bomber on February 14 rammed his vehicle packed with explosives into a CRPF bus on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Pulwama district, killing at least 40 troopers on the spot.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 18, 2019 04:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).