Main conspirator of Pulwama terror attack killed in Tral encounter: Army

Indian Army on Monday confirmed that Mudasir Ahmed Khan, alias 'Mohd Bhai', the main conspirator of February 14 Pulwama terror attack which resulted in the death 40 CRPF personnel, was killed by security forces in an encounter in Tral on Sunday.

Talking to reporters, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, said that main conspirator of Pulwama attack Mudasir Khan Khan has been eliminated in Tral encounter. Mudassir had provided car and explosives to Pulwama suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar. He was also involved in plotting multiple IED blasts in Kashmir valley.

Lt Gen Dhillon added that security forces have killed 18 terrorists since Pulwama attack. The dead include six senior commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammad.

"In last 21 days, we have eliminated 18 terrorists, out of them 14 being from JeM, 6 out of 14 were main commanders. JeM's 2nd commander Mudasir-main conspirator in national highway convoy attack-has also been eliminated," Lt Gen Dhillon was quoted as saying by ANI.

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Lt Gen Dhillon stressed that security forces are committed to crush Jaish in the valley and the operations will continue till all JeM terrorists are killed.

A total of three terrorists were killed in Pinglish area of Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Sunday during a joint operation of the Indian Army, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police  

A search operation was launched by the joint security forces following specific intelligence inputs on the presence of terrorists in the area. During the search operation, terrorists tried to escape by opening fire. The forces retaliated immediately, triggering an encounter, a police official said. Two AK-47 rifles, a pistol and other incriminating material have been recovered from the spot. 

Meanwhile, Indian Army sources on Monday said that security forces have been successful in eliminating 44 terrorists in first 70 days of 2019, adding that most of the killed terrorists were from Jaish-e-Mohammed. Sources added that1629 ceasefire violations were reported along Line of Control in 2018, while this year 478 ceasefire violations have already taken place along LoC.