Pulwama attack anniversary: Four out of 19 involved still at large

'At present the JeM has only 7-8 locals and 5-6 active Pakistanis including Mossa Solaimani,' Vijay Kumar (ADGP) Kashmir said

Exactly four years after a deadly fidayeen (suicide) attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama district of south Kashmir left 40 paramilitary personnel dead, eight militants involved in the attack have been eliminated, seven arrested while four, including three Pakistanis, are still at large.

This was stated by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, while talking to media persons after paying tributes to the fallen CRPF men in the dastardly attack of February 14, 2019.

Kumar, who was accompanied by Inspector General Operations CRPF, M S Bhatia, said that almost all the top commanders of the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), which carried out the February 2019 attack, have been neutralised.

“At present the JeM has only 7-8 locals and 5-6 active Pakistanis including Mossa Solaimani," he said, adding that police are after them and they will be neutralised soon.

On the occasion, Bhatia said the ground situation has improved since 2019 and such attacks (February 14) will never happen given the measures taken by the security forces.

“There is remarkable progress after the attack in 2019, militant modules are being busted, their ecosystem is being busted, we are sure that this kind of attack will not happen again,” he said.

Like previous years, on Twitter, the CRPF shared: “We did not Forgive, will Never Forget: We salute our brothers who laid down their lives at the altar of duty at Pulwama, this day in 2019. We will forever remain indebted to their families.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Remembering our valorous heroes who we lost on this day in Pulwama. We will never forget their supreme sacrifice. Their courage motivates us to build a strong and developed India.”

A memorial has been set up in 185 Battalion of CRPF which is two kilometres away from the site where JeM militant Adil Ahmed Dar, driving an explosive-laden car blew himself up next to a convoy of security forces killing the 40 CRPF personnel.

Also Read: Their courage motivates us to build strong India: PM Modi pays tribute Pulwama attack martyrs

Days after the deadly attack, the Indian Air Force on February 26, 2019 carried out multiple aerial strikes at the JeM militant camps in Pakistan’s Balakot, killing a “large number” of terrorists and destroying their infrastructure.

In October 2020, in a shocking admission, Pakistan’s former Science & Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry in the National Assembly during a debate admitted to the fact that ISI and the Pakistani army were responsible for the terrorist attack across the border.

“Humne Hindustan ko ghus ke maara (We hit India in their home). Our success in Pulwama, is a success of this nation under the leadership of Imran Khan. You and us are all part of that success,” Chaudhry, a close aide of former Prime Minister Imran Khan had reportedly said.