<p>Sajjad Ahmed, the Pakistani terrorist caught yesterday, had been tasked to set up a base for Lashkar-e-Taiba in Rafiabad, some 76 kms from here, and curb the influence of local militant Qayyum Najjar, who has defected from Hizbul Mujahideen to form his own group.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Officials interrogating Ahmed said he had joined LeT in 2012 and had made two attempts earlier to enter the Kashmir Valley from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) but failed because of heavy deployment of the Army.<br /><br />Ahmed, who has studied till 4th standard, told his interrogators that he was a Baloch settled in Muzzafargarh of Punjab province in South West Pakistan, the officials said.<br /><br />The terrorist, who was captured after a two-day operation in which his four associates were killed, had also worked with Jamaat-ul-Dawa, which is headed by Hafiz Saeed, the chief of LeT and mastermind of 2008 Mumbai attacks, the officials said.<br /><br />Ahmed, aged 22, has undergone all the three kinds of training in terrorism -- 'Daura-e-Aam', 'Daura-e-Khas' and 'Daura-e-Sufa', they said.<br /><br />In Daura-e-Aam, the cadres of the terror outfit are given basic training in small arms and grenade-throwing for 21 days which is followed by a three-month specialised training, known as Daura-e-Khas in which they are taught handling of AK riles, rocket launchers, making of Improvised Explosive Devices and LMGs.<br /><br />The third kind of training, known as Daura-e-Sufa, involves motivating and brainwashing youth for terror acts.<br /><br />Ahmed is believed to have said that the main objective of sending him and others here was to enable LeT re-establish its base in Rafiabad area in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.<br /><br />LeT's influence in Rafiabad has seen a decline since Najjar's rift with Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and formed his own dissident group sometime back.<br /><br />Ahmed said he had been recalled recently from his home to cross over into Kashmir and was given a task for undermining the influence of Najjar, who is a local resident of Sopore and allegedly involved in killing of five people in May and June this year besides carrying out blasts at the telecom towers.<br /><br />If Ahmed's statement is to be believed, then it indicates that Salahuddin has joined hands with LeT in targeting Najjar, who has been fighting a bitter battle with Hizb chief and refused to follow his diktats.</p>
<p>Sajjad Ahmed, the Pakistani terrorist caught yesterday, had been tasked to set up a base for Lashkar-e-Taiba in Rafiabad, some 76 kms from here, and curb the influence of local militant Qayyum Najjar, who has defected from Hizbul Mujahideen to form his own group.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Officials interrogating Ahmed said he had joined LeT in 2012 and had made two attempts earlier to enter the Kashmir Valley from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) but failed because of heavy deployment of the Army.<br /><br />Ahmed, who has studied till 4th standard, told his interrogators that he was a Baloch settled in Muzzafargarh of Punjab province in South West Pakistan, the officials said.<br /><br />The terrorist, who was captured after a two-day operation in which his four associates were killed, had also worked with Jamaat-ul-Dawa, which is headed by Hafiz Saeed, the chief of LeT and mastermind of 2008 Mumbai attacks, the officials said.<br /><br />Ahmed, aged 22, has undergone all the three kinds of training in terrorism -- 'Daura-e-Aam', 'Daura-e-Khas' and 'Daura-e-Sufa', they said.<br /><br />In Daura-e-Aam, the cadres of the terror outfit are given basic training in small arms and grenade-throwing for 21 days which is followed by a three-month specialised training, known as Daura-e-Khas in which they are taught handling of AK riles, rocket launchers, making of Improvised Explosive Devices and LMGs.<br /><br />The third kind of training, known as Daura-e-Sufa, involves motivating and brainwashing youth for terror acts.<br /><br />Ahmed is believed to have said that the main objective of sending him and others here was to enable LeT re-establish its base in Rafiabad area in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.<br /><br />LeT's influence in Rafiabad has seen a decline since Najjar's rift with Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and formed his own dissident group sometime back.<br /><br />Ahmed said he had been recalled recently from his home to cross over into Kashmir and was given a task for undermining the influence of Najjar, who is a local resident of Sopore and allegedly involved in killing of five people in May and June this year besides carrying out blasts at the telecom towers.<br /><br />If Ahmed's statement is to be believed, then it indicates that Salahuddin has joined hands with LeT in targeting Najjar, who has been fighting a bitter battle with Hizb chief and refused to follow his diktats.</p>