The relatives of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant accused of being involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, have caused a stir after his sister referred to him as a “Mujahideen”—a word used to refer to Islamic warriors who are fighting jihad, or holy war.
"My brother is Mujahideen" says sister of terrorist involved in Pahalgam attack
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Two Houses Demolished in Crackdown
Two suspected terrorists‘ homes were brought down by authorities on Friday—both in Pulwama’s Tral and Anantnag district. Both of them are said to have had involvement in the fatal Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, including a Nepalese citizen.
In Tral, the sister of a terrorist mentioned to ANI, “My one brother is in prison, the other brother is a ‘Mujahideen’, and I too have two sisters. Yesterday, when I returned here from my in-laws, I did not see my parents and siblings at their house. Police had taken them all away.”
Family Claims Innocence Amid Action
Her sister said the family had no information about terror involvement. “As I was staying here, Security Forces came to me and informed me to relocate to a nearby house of one of our neighbors. I can see a camouflage-clad person putting something, like a bomb, on top of the building. And that is how subsequently the building has been demolished. We are innocents. We have destroyed the house. They don’t have anything and no idea,” she said.
Adil Guree Named Most Wanted
In the meantime, the second house that was razed was that of Adil Guree, a native of Guree village in Anantnag’s Bijbehara block. Guree is suspected by authorities to have been a key player in the Pahalgam attack and has thus been named most wanted. Anantnag Police have put a reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head for information leading to his apprehension.
It is reported that Guree had traveled illegally to Pakistan in 2018, where he received terror training, according to allegations. He reappeared in Jammu and Kashmir recently, and security forces opine that he has been actively involved in LeT operations since then.
Background: The Pahalgam Attack
On 22nd April, terrorists attacked tourists at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, firing AK-47s indiscriminately. The savage attack killed 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen and injured several others.
What is a Mujahideen?
The word “Mujahideen” is derived from the Arabic term “jihad,” which means “struggle.” Mujahideen are those who participate in jihad, which generally is translated as holy warriors or freedom fighters. But in terms of terrorism, the word has also been utilized by insurgency groups to refer to their fighters.
Security forces stay vigilant even as the investigation goes on, pursuing the remaining suspects of the April 22 assault.
