Police in Jammu and Kashmir say they have arrested a fidayeen (suicide attacker) who was part of the ‘Afzal Guru Squad’ that attacked a Indian army camp near the border in Kupwor district.
Five other locals who were allegedly part of the Jaish-e-Muhammad have also been arrested. A senior police official told Kashmir Dispatch that in a joint operation with the Indian army they arrested the teenage suicide attacker in Varmul district.
He along with his three associates carried out an attack, three months ago, on an army camp near the Line of Control in Tanghdar, the official said. The teenage fidayeen Mohammad Sadiq Gujjar, 17, is a resident of Sialkote in Pakistan and was arrested by police and army’s 52 and 46 Rashtriya Rifles from Varmul.
His three associates Hussain, Malik and Rizwan were killed inside the army camp at Tanghdar on November 25 last year. “His arrest is a major success for police as he is the only fidayeen of Afzal Guru squad of Jaish-e-Muhammad who was arrested after carrying out the attack on 3/1 GR battalion headquarters at Tanghdar,” the official told Kashmir Dispatch.
The Afzal Guru squad of JeM has carried out three fidayeen attacks so far including last month’s attack on Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. “He has told his interrogators that he set afire the Oil depot inside the Army camp at Tanghdar and destroyed several vehicles before he was asked by his colleagues to leave,” the official said.
The police officer said that the Jaish module that the arrested fidayeen was part of had five local workers who have been arrested. He said police have arrested Sohail Arif, a resident of Sherwani Colony, Rashid Rasool Bhat, resident of Darwan-Wagoor, Javed Ahmed, a resident of Mohalla Syed Karim, Farhan Fayaz and Ehsan Fayaz, residents of Jamia Mohalla in the northern district. Farhan and Ehsan are brothers.
POLICE SAY
After the attack, Gujjar fled to nearby forests and was in hiding for three days. He was asked by his handlers to go to Kupwor. He changed his clothes and boarded a van from Tanghdar, with his weapon concealed. He reached Kupwor and befriended some people who helped him to travel to Varmul where he was arrested. Coming from a well-off farmer’s family in Sialkot, Gujjar has five brothers and two sisters. He was lured by his school friend, who is also a JeM member, to take to arms. Gujjar said he got three months training in a JeM camp.