Local explosives used to trigger Pulwama attack
NEW DELHI: : Terrorists who planned and executed the February 14, 2019 Pulwama attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy took advantage of pilferage in mineral blocks and stone quarries to procure about 500 gelatin sticks, purchased ammonium nitrate and ammonium powder locally in small tranches, and managed to smuggle in military grade RDX from across the border, according to people familiar with the investigation who gave granular details of the explosives used in the attack that took India and Pakistan to the brink of war last year.
The Pulwana attack -- in which an explosive-laden Maruti Eeco was smashed into the CRPF convoy by suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar, killing 40 troopers -led to India retaliating with an aerial attack on a terror camp in Balakot and a subsequent dogfight between the air forces of the two countries.
A counter-insurgency official, sharing details of how explosive material was collected for the Pulwama bombing, said Jaish-emohammad (JEM) commander Mudassir Ahmed Khan (killed in an encounter in Pinglish on March 11, 2019), Ismail Bhai alias Lambu (currently the main JEM commander in Kashmir), Sameer Ahmed Dar (Jaish’s second-incommand in the Valley) and Shakir Bashir Magrey (arrested by the National Investigation Agency on February 28, 2020) collected the gelatin sticks from the mining blocks and locations used by factories for blasting rocks in the Khrew (Pulwama), Khunmoh (Srinagar), Tral, Awantipora and Lethpora areas over a period of time.
“These gelatin sticks, which have nitroglycerin, were collected in tranches of 5kg to 10kg to avoid raising red flags among the intelligence agencies,” said the official, who asked not to be named.
The ammonium nitrate (around 70 kg) and the ammonium powder were procured locally in tranches, while around 35kg military grade RDX was brought in from Pakistan, the official said.
Some of the ammonium powder was ordered by Jaish operative Waiz-ul-islam (arrested in March 2020), he said. Forensic sxperts probing the case have confirmed that ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerin and RDX were used in the attack.
A senior home ministry (MHA) official confirmed the NIA had gathered all the evidence on how the explosives were collected, and who the people behind the delivery were. The RDX, the official said, was brought to India in tranches by JEM terrorists who sneaked in from Pakistan.
“Gelatin sticks are prohibited for sale in the open market, and only authorised companies or government department s{ that} have permission can use it. However, it has often been seen that there aren’t proper checks at these sites, and explosives used at quarries reach the hands of criminals and terrorists. Several advisories have been issued in the past in this regard,” said the MHA official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The NIA has so far arrested key players in Pulwama attack – including Magrey, Mohammad Abbas Rather, Waiz-ul-islam, Insha Jan, and her father Tariq Ahmad Shah. They were picked up in February and March this year.