Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 14: Security forces today achieved a major success when they arrested a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant commander from Hajibal forests area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district who was trying to establish JeM base there.
A top security official said that the JeM commander Abdul Rehman son of Mohammad Sadiq Khan of village Pollas of district Poonch in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) was arrested in a joint operation by Police and Army 46-Rashtriya Rifles (RR).
The officer said that huge recoveries including some incriminating documents were recovered from the possession of arrested commander which include one AK rifle,4 grenades, wireless set and other arms and ammunition.
The militant commander was planning to establish a JeM base in Baramulla town. He was operating in and around Baramulla town and was trying to recruit locals for his module so as to carry out militant activities in the district.
The officer said that Rehman was part of a six member Fidayeen squad that had infiltrated into Kashmir in January this year from Machil sector of Kupwara. He had told his interrogators that he has obtained training in JeM training camp located in Balakot Pakistan.
An Aadhar card (having number 647856225315) lists his name as Shabir Ahmad Khan son of Ghulam Rasool Khan.
The officer said that the JeM has been desperate to establish base in Baramulla and a similar attempt was foiled in February this year when a Pakistani Fidayeen Sidiq Gujjar alias Shahid son of Jameel resident of Sialkot Pakistan along with its local module was arrested from Baramulla by Army and Police. He had escaped from Tanghdar Army camp after carrying out Fidayeen attack last year. Five members of his module were also arrested by security forces with Sidiq Gujjar.
Prior to this on February 3, three member Jaish module was arrested from Handwara area of North Kashmir by Handwara Police.
Security forces have foiled JeM efforts to set up a base in Kashmir to carry out attacks against security forces. For the last two years, JeM had been making desperate attempts to set up its network in Kashmir valley. But the continuous pressure maintained by the security agencies in Kashmir valley on their cadres led to foiling of such attempts.
“Last year JeM tried to infiltrate their cadres into Kashmir along the LoC 7-8 times but they failed. However, one group of around 4-5 militants has managed to infiltrate through Machil sector last year and one group this year”, said a security force official.
The JeM is currently headed by commander Saifullah, who had infiltrated into Kashmir in 2014. But security forces didn’t let him to establish JeM base in Kashmir due to continuous pressure on him and his men.
Two commanders of JeM who spent almost a year in South Kashmir’s restive Tral area, failed to make their base in the area. JeM commander, Adil Pathan, and his deputy Burmee were tasked to make recruitment for the organization and set up a network in South Kashmir but they failed for almost one year and were finally gunned down by security forces last year.
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