SRINAGAR, India: On Friday, April 25, Indian soldiers in Kashmir demolished the homes of two individuals accused by the police of being part of a group responsible for one of the region’s deadliest attacks on civilians in recent history.
Indian security forces have initiated a major search for those involved in the killing of 26 people in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
The police claim that the suspects are linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a group recognized as a terrorist organization by the United Nations.
Authorities have released wanted posters featuring three suspects: Adil Hussain Thoker, an Indian national, along with Pakistani nationals Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa.
They are also pursuing Indian national Ashif Sheikh.
Following the attack, the immediate family members of the two Indian suspects were taken in for questioning, according to police and family sources.
Yasmeena, Sheikh’s sister, reported that soldiers had sealed off the area around their home in Tral, located in southern Kashmir, from late Thursday night into Friday morning.
“A soldier entered our property over the mud wall and soon returned,” Yasmeena, who only provided her first name, explained. “Then, a loud explosion caused our house to collapse. Everything inside is ruined,” she added, noting that no one was home at the time.
A police official confirmed that soldiers also destroyed Thoker’s family residence in Bijbehara early Friday in a similar manner.
Authorities mentioned that both suspects were associated with a faction of LeT called The Resistance Front (TRF).
“Both have been active for three to four years and are affiliated with TRF, which is a splinter group of LeT,” said a police intelligence officer, who requested to remain anonymous due to restrictions on speaking to the media. “They are wanted for previous attacks on security forces as well,” the officer added.
The police have announced a reward of two million rupees (approximately US$23,500) for information leading to each suspect’s capture.
