The nine terrorists killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week were foreign fighters trained for large-scale subversive activities. The terrorists, who were killed in an encounter which also claimed the lives of two army majors, were also planning to blow up railway tracks and Army vehicles.
According to documents recovered from the site of the fierce gunbattle, the terrorists were provided with a list of do's and dont's, including instructions to wash their own clothes and keep away from locals to protect their identity.
The group was given the task of blowing up railway tracks in Budgam, Baramulla and Pattan areas of the Valley. The terrorists were also planning to lob grenades on army vehicles, said an army official.
A diary recovered from the slain terrorists contained directions from their Lashkar-e-Toiba commanders, the officer said, adding that the terrorists were all foreigners and trained to handle chemical grenades and carry out tear gas attacks. While reminding them not to trust locals, the LeT advised the ultras to maintain liaison with shopkeepers who are branded as informers, the official said.
They were also directed not to give their clothes and shoes for washing to anyone as it had led to their identities being revealed in the past. They were also advised to ascertain that there was no other terrorist outfit present in a particular village before seeking shelter there.
"You should go about surveillance of the village and ensure that there is no other Tanzeem present there in order to prevent misunderstanding," the direction in the diary read.
The group was trained to break security cordons in case of entrapment by the Army. "The group included a top terrorist commander who was transshipped into the interiors of the Valley," said the official.
The documents found on the slain ultras also revealed the names and telephone numbers of several terrorists and their co-workers. "We are going through it and expect some more success in coming days," said the Army official.
A satellite phone recovered from the slain ultras contained the recorded conversation between an Army captain and a self-styled LeT commander.
"We have lost nine men, how many did you lose?" asked the militant commander. When told that two Army personnel were killed, the commander responded angrily, "You are lying....you have lost 11 men".
The recovery of the satellite phone proves that one of the slain terrorists was a top commander as ordinary ranks are not provided with such facilities, the official said.
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