LeT commander Ismail emerges as key suspect
Intel input in first week of June claimed the operative was seen moving with a group in Pir Panjal range
NEWDELHI: Security forces operating in the Valley first heard the name of Abu Ismail, whose name has come up in connection with the attack on Amarnath pilgrims on Monday, more than two months ago.
In the first week of June, an intelligence input claimed that Ismail was moving in a group of four persons in the Pir Panjal range.
“The intelligence input claimed that Ismail and his group was doing a recee of targets in the area and moving through villages en route to the Amarnath cave,” said a security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he authorised to speak to media.
The official added that there was possibility that at least two persons in his group were local residents.
On Tuesday, I-G of J&K police Muneer Khan was quoted by ANI as saying that Abu Ismail was one of the masterminds of the attack, which he attributed to the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Sources in the security and intelligence communities have hinted at some kind of ‘one-upmanship’ between Ismail and Abu Dujana, who is considered the divisional commander of LeT for South Kashmir. Dujana is also known by the name of Hafiz and is considered to be from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
“We haven’t heard much about Abu Dujana in the last few weeks. It could be a possibility that Ismail is taking over Dujana’s place who might have been withdrawn by his handlers — known as Sajid and Waleed — based in the PoK. But it seemed that Ismail and Dujana were competing with each other,” said another security official.
Sources in the J&K police suspect that when a tyre of the bus that was carrying the pilgrims got a flat tyre at Sangam, someone informed the militants .
The state police, in its report to the Centre said the bus came under fire twice from within a distance of 75 meters from its right side. They also suspect that two groups were active in there as three attacks took place in the area within a span of 10 minutes.