Pahalgam terror attack: Lashkar-e-Taiba top commander Farooq Ahmad had key role, says NIA

New Delhi: Lashkar-e-Taiba’s top commander Farooq Ahmad played a key role in orchestrating the operational network behind the recent terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, India Today reported citing sources in the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

As part of the ongoing counter-terror operations in Kashmir, security forces recently demolished Farooq Ahmad’s house in Kupwara.

It is believed that Farooq Ahmad is currently based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Security agencies have found that sleeper cells operated by him have been central to several terror attacks that have taken place in Kashmir over the past two years. The NIA suspects that the Pahalgam attack is also linked to these activities.

Farooq Ahmad is said to be instrumental in facilitating the infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan into Kashmir through three key sectors. He is reported to have an in-depth knowledge of the various trekking routes in Kashmir’s mountainous terrain. According to the agency, between 1990 and 2016, he travelled multiple times between India and Pakistan.

Following the Pahalgam attack, security forces took several of his associates into custody.

NIA sources also said that Farooq used secure communication channels from Pakistan to plan and execute operations and to stay in touch with the group active in Kashmir. The Pahalgam incident is regarded as the major terror attack in Kashmir in recent times.