Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 10: A militant module of Hizbul Mujahideen busted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police last month was planning to target retired Police officers who had worked in counter-insurgency operations besides carrying out IED blast against Army convoys in remote areas of Kashmir valley.
As per the interrogation report of the recently arrested United Kingdom (UK) based Kashmiri Physiotherapist, Shaheen Ahmad Baba, militants have been told to target the former police officers who were with the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police.
“Amir Khan (Deputy supreme commander of Hizbul Mujahideen) directed us to target senior retired police officers who had played an active role in counter-insurgency operations over the years. I was given an example of a senior police officer who retired recently”, the interrogation report of Baba reads.
“Amir directed me to create a new module of militants in which I was advised to recruit youth who had no past links with militancy or any political party. He further informed me that once the module was established and equipped, will help in fund transfer locally”, the report reads.
Baba told his interrogators that he was trained in handling explosives and was asked to use locally available material for making IEDs and use door bells and central locking system of cars for their detonation.
“I was asked to read the manual about different types of explosives and procedure of making them during my training in PoK. I was also trained in making IEDs and detonating them. I was told that it is difficult to send circuits etc to Kashmir considering the restrictions on the border. I was asked to use door bells or central locking system as an alternative to it”, the report reveals.
Baba told his interrogators that he was asked that once his module gets established to target Army convoys with IEDs in remote areas of Kashmir valley. The targeting of Army in remote areas was to avoid civilian killings.
Baba was also told by his handlers across to collect information about the activities of two middle rung Hurriyat Conference leaders, both from Central Kashmir, who were working for Indian agencies. However, Baba told interrogators, he didn’t get time to keep a tab on their activities.
Baba was arrested last month when he was on his way to Srinagar Airport to take a flight to New Delhi and was on way to London. His entire module was later arrested by the Police and investigators are digging further into it.
Baba was asked to go slow on the activities of the module but he made frequent contacts to his handlers in Pakistan that led to his arrest and busting of the module.
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