Mudasir Ahmad Khan, one of the chief conspirators of the Pulwama attack that led to the killing of 40 CRPF personnel, has been killed in an encounter with the security forces in Tral area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir. Khan, alias Mohd Bhai, supplied explosives as well as the car to suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar, according to reports.
A joint operation carried out by the Indian Army, CRPF and the J&K Police led to the killing of three Jaish--e-Mohammad militants including Khan in Pinglish village of Tral after intelligence agencies received inputs on their presence in the area. The search operation continued into the wee hours of March 11 although the bodies of the three militants were recovered a day before.
Although the bodies of the three militants are charred beyond recognition, sources said that the body of Khan has been handed over to his family in Tral. One of the militants who was killed is reportedly from Pakistan.
Mohd Bhai led various deadly attacks against security forces
Mudasir, a graduate, joined Jaish-e Mohammad in 2017 after he was driven into the outfit by one of the top commanders of JeM, Mohammad Tantray, who is believed to have revived the Jaish activities in Kashmir. After Tantray was killed in December 2017, Khan disappeared from his home in Tral to join JeM.
Photos of him flaunting AK-47 guns went viral on social media. In 2018, Khan is said to have led an attack on the security forces in Lethpora area of Pulwama district on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway that led to the killing of five soldiers and one civillian. He also attacked Sunjwan camp of Indian Army in South Kashmir, killing at least six personnel.
Prior to his joining Jaish, Khan received one-year diploma training from the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and became an electrician. Khan hails from Tral region of Southn Kashmir, the epicentre of home-grown militancy in Kashmir. This is also the hometown of top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, whose killing in 2016 gave an impetus to the recruitment of local boys in the terror outfits.
