Afghan war veteran Rasheed Ghazi in India’s cross hairs

Intelligence agencies suspect top Jaish commander Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, an Afghan war veteran and ‘IED specialist’, to be the prime organiser of the attack and believe the strike may have been in the works since December.

Sources said there had been considerable chatter about a “spectacular attack” around February 9, the death anniversary of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru. One of the flagged transcripts said “bada hona chahiye, Hindustan rona chahiye (it should be big, India should cry)”. These interceptions coincided with JeM chief Masood Azhar sending Ghazi to the Valley, sources said.

TOI had reported on January 3 that an intelligence input suggested Ghazi had been sent to the Valley in mid-December to avenge the killings of Jaish commanders Talha and Usman, the latter a trained sniper. The two were nephews of Azhar.


Soon after Usman’s killing, JeM released a statement acknowledging the death of its mujahideen and vowed revenge. Ghazi infiltrated into the Valley on December 9 and reached Pulwama by December-end, travelling mostly on foot and public transport, the input said. Thursday’s attack was in Pulwama.

Agencies are probing the role of JeM’s Afzal Guru Squad in the attack. Minutes after the strike, pro-Jaish Telegram channels were abuzz with messages claiming the death of “100 Hindu Indian forces”. The messages bore the salutation of the Afzal Guru Squad.