M A I N   N E W S

Fidayeen attack ‘revenge’ against Afzal’s hanging
Majid Jahangir/TNS

DEADLY FIVE Five militants crossed into India after Afzal Guru’s hanging to “take revenge” Two returned to Pak while the rest were received by Bashir Ahmed, their guide On Wednesday, the three and Bashir travelled to Bemina Two militants stayed there for the attack, while Talha was dropped in the Chhatabal area of Srinagar and was asked to hide there for some days

Srinagar, March 15
The investigation into Wednesday’s fidayeen attack has revealed that it might have been in retaliation to the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Interrogation of Pakistani militant Abu Talha, alias Talha Zarar, who was arrested during a surgical raid in Rampura Chattabal locality of the old city yesterday evening, has revealed this. The police said the 24-year-old arrested militant was a resident of 104, Chak Multan in Pakistan.

“Talha was part of a group comprising five militants who got 21-day religious and three-month arms training. The group crossed over immediately after the hanging of Afzal Guru with an objective to take revenge,” said a police officer.

Talha told interrogators that two of them returned to Pakistan while they were received by a guide from north Kashmir, Bashir Ahmed. The police has already arrested Bashir Ahmed, a resident of Dachi Uri. Bashir had crossed over to Pakistan in 1990s for arms training. However, after his return from Pakistan, he surrendered before the Army. He was now staying in a rented accommodation in Srinagar.

“We are looking for the persons who provided logistics to them for carrying out the attack. We believe they were Hizbul Mujahideen workers. The militants belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba,” sources said.

On the day of the attack, the three militants and Bashir travelled from north Kashmir to Bemina. They dropped two militants there for conducting the attack while Talha was dropped in the Chhatabal area of Srinagar and asked to hide there, the police said.