SRINAGAR: In the second arrest of a Pakistani terrorist this month after Naved Yakub was literally pinned down in Udhampur on August 3, the security forces captured alive another Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist from across the border after an encounter in which four of his collaborators were killed in J&K’s Baramulla district.

While Naved, who had attacked a BSF bus in Udhampur on August 3, is from Pakistan’s Faisalabad, Army sources said the terrorist captured on Thursday, 22-year-old Sajjad Ahmad alias Abu Abaidullah, is from Balochistan area of the neighbouring country. Sajjad was part of a large group of 20 terrorists who had infiltrated into Kashmir from the Uri sector last week.

DIG North Kashmir Gareeb Dass confirmed that the Pakistani militant was captured during the encounter. “Four militants were killed in the encounter and one Pakistani militant was captured alive,” he said. Sajjad’s capture increases the country’s leverage with Pakistan on any talk on terror.

Army commandos fired ‘chilly grenades’ and teargas shells into a cave to flush out the terrorists, including, Sajjad, who had been holed up there since Wednesday night.

“This terrorist is an evidence for us,” Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju told reporters in Delhi. “There’s no doubt about Pakistan’s involvement here, but his capture alive will help us keep our stand at the international level and this will also act as a lead in further buildup of the case… Now even a common man knows about Pakistan’s role. So this is an achievement for us and we will use it wisely,” Rijiju said.

Along with Sajjad, the forces recovered a cache of five AK-47 rifles, two grenade launchers, a map, two GPS and broken smart phones were recovered from them, officials said. The captured terrorist is now being taken for joint interrogation, they added.

The security forces were in pursuit of the LeT infiltrators for three days after a few shepherds reported to Boniyar police on Monday that they were beaten up by some armed men in forests and had their cell phones snatched. The police informed the Army and launched a joint operation, but by that time, the terrorists had changed their location, Army sources said.

The security agencies used unmanned aerial vehicles to locate the five terrorists at Kazinag Dhar ridge in Rafiabad in Baramulla near the LoC, leading to the four-day encounter. One terrorist was killed on Wednesday, and three more were killed on Thursday. After heavy firing, the defence forces used chilly grenades and tear gas shells to smoke out the hiding terrorists but only Sajjad emerged alive, sources said.

The defence spokesman said, “The efficacy of a robust counter-infiltration grid has manifested in successful elimination of four terrorists and capture of one terrorist over a four days’ joint operation by the Army and J&K police. Based on intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the forest area…, a search operation was launched by the Army on August 24 (Monday) which forced the terrorists to move towards the higher reaches of the Kazinag Dhar ridge. An effective cordon was established by the Army, including special forces, which were inducted by helicopters to prevent the escape of terrorists.”

Read this story in Hindi: कश्मीर में जिंदा दबोचा गया एक और पाकिस्तानी आतंकी

