Pahalgam attack: 7 terrorists, including 5 from Pakistan, may have been involved, report says

Some six to seven terrorists may have been reportedly involved in the tragic terrorist attack on tourists at the Baisaran valley meadow in Pahalgam Tuesday (April 22), including four to five from Pakistan. According to an Indian Express report; which cited sources, eyewitness accounts and intelligence reports; at least two of them were local militants.

Earlier reports suggested that the two local terrorists have been identified as Aadil Thakur of Bijbehara and Aasif Sheikh of Tral.

“The Urdu that they (the foreign terrorists) spoke is spoken in certain parts of Pakistan… At least two local militants are suspected to be accompanying them but we don’t yet know which part of Kashmir they came from,” a security officer was quoted as saying by the paper.

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Officials have shared sketches of three terrorists and offered a reward of ₹20 lakh ($23,500) for information about each one. It’s believed the attackers have escaped to the higher areas of the Pir Panjal mountains. The Army, central forces, and Jammu & Kashmir police are now searching the area.

The gunmen reportedly filmed the entire ordeal through their body cameras, something that the officer described as “a normal practice these days”.

“All attacks in Jammu in the past three years have been shot through body or gun-mounted cameras. These videos are used for propaganda purposes. The LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) has already come out with propaganda material using the footage,” the officer said.

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It was still not known how the foreign terrorists involved in the attack managed to enter the Indian territory and how long they had been there.

“It is still being ascertained. There are some indications based on existing vulnerabilities on the border and some inputs that have been received but nothing is confirmed. Agencies are verifying the details and the border is being checked for signs of infiltration,” an officer said.

According to media reports, Indian intelligence agencies had already warned the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a potential Pakistan-backed terror activity in the region.

(With inputs from agencies)