One of the three Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants killed in the Pulwama gunfight on Monday night “is believed to be a nephew'' of the outfit’s founder, Masood Azhar, according to General Officer Commanding (GOC), Victor Force, Maj. Gen. B.S Raju.
Earlier, a Jaish-e-Muhammad spokesperson identified the three as Muhammad Bhai, a divisional commander and a resident of Pakistan; Talha Rasheed, nephew of Masood Azhar; and Waseem Ahmad, a resident of Drubgam Pulwama.
Ahmad’s photo, where he was seen carrying a M16 carbine gun, had gone viral on Facebook a few days ago.
One solider was also killed in the operation and one civilian suffered bullet injuries near the encounter site.
According to the police, the militants killed were involved in the recent killing of a policeman.
Pakistan-based Azhar, who was released in exchange of hijacked IC 814 plane in 2000, is the founder of JeM. He is believed to have revived its ranks in Kashmir by launching Al-Shohada Brigade or Shaheed Afzal Guru Squad in 2013.
In January last, Abu Musaib, a nephew of Zaki Rehman Lakhvi, LeT operational chief, was also killed in a gunfight in Bandipora.
'Support from across the border'
Responding to the seizure of weapons, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat said that this shows they had support from across the border.
“This makes it clear that terrorists are getting support from across the border,” Gen Rawat said in response to questions from the media on the sidelines of a defence accounts event in New Delhi.
On Rasheed, Gen Rawat said, “Doesn’t matter if he is Masood Azhar’s nephew or anyone else. We aim at neutralising all terrorists, irrespective of from where they belong.”