Pulwama suicide bomber had joined Jaish just a year ago

Adil Ahmad Dar, a 20-year-old Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist, is believed to have been driving the explosive-laden car that rammed a CRPF van killing at least 40 soldiers. He had joined terror outfit in March 2018.

A video of Dar was doing the rounds in social media soon after the deadly attack. In the video, Dar can be seen with many sophisticated weapons in the background. He claimed that he had joined the fidayeen (suicide) squad of Jaish-e-Mohammed. “Get ready and step forward fast…By the time you see this video, I will be in heaven,” Dar can be heard saying in the video. (Follow updates here)

Adil’s village Gundibagh is located barely 10 kilometres away from the place where he rammed the explosive-laden vehicle the CRPF bus. Sources said that he was driving the Swift car. A police officer said Dar went missing in 2018.

CRPF Inspector General (Operations) in the Kashmir Valley Zulfiqar Hasan said Jammu and Kashmir Police has taken up the investigation of Thursday’s attack.

The Pulwama terror attack is the deadliest in years. The attack could have been a reaction to the intensive operations carried out against militants in south Kashmir. Over 250 militants have been killed by security forces in the valley, mostly from south Kashmir.

In the attack on the Uri military base in September 2016, Jaish-e-Mohammed militants killed 19 Army jawans and injured dozens of others.

First Published: Feb 14, 2019 20:00 IST