Udhampur: “I came to kill Hindus, its fun doing this,” said Kasim Khan, a suspected Lashker-e-Toiba militant from Pakistan who was caught alive after the attack on a BSF convoy here on Wednesday that killed two constables.
Kasim, who says he hails from Faislabad in Pakistan, claimed before the media that he entered the Jammu region 12 days ago along with a fellow terrorist identified as Momin Khan. Khan was killed in retaliatory fire by BSF.
This is the first suspected Pakistani terrorist to be captured alive after Ajmal Kasab, who was nabbed during the dreaded terror attack in Mumbai in 2008.
“I came to kill Hindus,” said Kasim , dressed in a dark blue shirt and brown trousers, with a relaxed demeanour. He also alleged that Kashmiris were being killed all the time.
“It has been 12 days since I came here. We walked all days in the jungle,” he said as villagers clicked pictures with the prize catch.
“I am from Pakistan and my partner was killed in the firing but I escaped. Had I been killed, it would have been Allah’s doing. There is fun in doing this,” Naved said.
Initially, he said that he was in his early 20s but later claimed that he was only 16. He had been changing his statements. First he identified himself as Kasim and later as Usman.
This has been the tactics of banned Lashker group sending youngsters to Jammu and Kashmir with the direction that in case they were caught, they should claim to be below 18 years so that they are tried as juveniles.
In a major breakthrough, the security forces managed to capture one of the three terrorists involved in the attack on a BSF convoy following an intense gunbattle near Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. The captured terrorist has been identified as ‘Kasim Khan’, who has been trained in Pakistan, claimed media reports.
Kasim Khan, a teenager, is believed to have slipped into the Indian side five days ago and managed to conceal himself till the attack, allegedly with the support of some pro-Pakistan locals. ,
The security forces also successfully rescued three civilians, who were taken hostage by one of the three militants, who hurled grenades on the BSF convoy, injuring several jawans.
“Three hostages have been rescued and one terrorist has been caught alive,” Jitendra Singh, MoS PMO told reporters on the Udhampur terror attack.
Meanwhile, Special Forces of Army along with columns of Rashtriya Rifles are conducting post-attack operation after the attack on the BSF convoy.
The retaliatory firing by the security forces earlier killed two militants, believed to be associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). However, two BSF jawans were also killed in the ensuing gunfight between the militants and the security forces.
Some media reports also claimed that the lone militant was captured alive by the local residents and was later handed over to the security forces.
Today’s incident comes days after the daring terror attack in Punjab’s Gurdaspur in which at least 7 people, including some policemen, were killed. The development is also significant as it is for the first time that a terrorist has been captured alive ever since the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in which Pakistani national Ajmal Kasab was captured by the security forces and later executed.
The entire area was earlier cordoned off and search teams had launched combing operations to trace the lone terrorist who managed to escape towards nearby forests.
The Union Home Ministry also issued an advisory to Jammu and Kashmir Police, warning them of a likely attack.
The advisory said that the patch between Banihal and Jammu is vulnerable.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to DG BSF, DK Pathak regarding the attack on BSF convoy and took stock of the situation.
The BSF convoy was attacked near Sanruli, some 10 km from Udhampur on the Jammu and Srinagar Highway. The militants threw a grenade on the BSF convoy in which four jawans were injured.
Following the attack, a BSF contingent was immediately rushed from Udhampur to the attack site. CRPF and local police have also joined the operation.
“Militants fired at a BSF convoy at Narsu Nallah on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway today,” a senior police officer was earlier quoted as saying by IANS.
“Some BSF troopers were also injured in this attack. They were shifted to hospital for treatment,” he added.
Senior BSF troopers and police officers were also rushed to the spot.
The officer said the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is cleared for traffic each day by road-opening parties which employ high-tech equipment and sniffer dogs to ensure there are no explosive devices planted anywhere by militants.
“In the wake of today’s attack we have deployed additional forces in places overlooking the highway,” the officer added.
All essentials of life and security force deployments are routed to the landlocked Kashmir Valley through the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
