National News
‘JeM chief’s nephew among three killed in Pulwama’
An army soldier was also killed in the encounter at Aglar village in Jammu and Kashmir
One of the three Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants killed in the Pulwama gunfight on Monday night was a close relative of the outfit’s founder Masood Azhar, according to the security forces.
General Officer Commanding (GOC), Victor Force, Maj. Gen. B.S Raju said one of the three Jaish militants killed in an encounter in Pulwama “is believed to be nephew of the outfit’s chief”.
Earlier, a Jaish-e-Muhammad spokesperson identified three of the slain militants as Muhammad Bhai, a divisional commander and a resident of Pakistan; Talha Rasheed, nephew of Masood Azhar and Waseem Ahmad, a resident of Drubgam Pulwama.
Ahmad’s photo, where he was carrying M16 carbine gun, had gone viral on Facebook a few days ago.
One solider was also killed in the operation. One civilian also suffered bullet injuries near the encounter site.
According to the police, the slain JeM militants were also involved in the killing of policeman recently.
Pakistan-based Maulana Masood Azhar, who was released in exchange of hijacked IC 814 plane in 2000, is founded of JeM. He is believed to have revived its ranks in Kashmir by launching Al-Shohada Brigade or Shaheed Afzal Guru Squad in 2013.
In January this year, Abu Musaib, a nephew of Zaki Rehman Lakhvi, LeT operational chief, was also killed in a gunfight in Bandipora.
