New Delhi: India has no confirmation that top al Qaeda linked militant, Ilyas Kashmiri, a key planner behind the Mumbai terror attacks, was killed in a targeted US drone strike in Pakistan.
Government sources said New Delhi has contacted several
friendly countries asking about the authenticity of the
reports which suggested that Kashmiri, a key conspirator in
the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and wanted in India for his role in
the terror acts, was killed.
"No one has confirmed his killing yet. Indian
intelligence agencies also have not been able to corroborate
the report," a source said.
Since Indian agencies are trying to verify the
reports from different sources, a confirmation -- either way
-- about Kashmiri's fate is expected within a day or two.
Yesterday, Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry
of Home Affairs U K Bansal said Kashmiri was wanted in India
for criminal conspiracy and his prime agenda was to harm
India.
47-year-old Kashmiri, a former Pakistani army commando,
on whose head the US had put a price of USD five million, was
killed when a predator drone fired four missiles Friday night
at a compound in Ghwakhwa area of South Waziristan.
His outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami confirmed his death
in faxed messages to TV channels in Islamabad.
BBC Urdu service broke the news first yesterday.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, June 05, 2011, 18:48