New Delhi:

Photographs – from CCTV footage – have been released of three terrorists believed to be involved in the attack on an Air Force convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district last week, in which Corporal Vikky Pahade was killed and four of his colleagues injured.

All three reportedly used high-powered assault rifles, United States-made M4s and Russian-made AK-47s, in the attack, which was the first major strike of the year in an area that witnessed several terror-related strikes on military targets and soldiers last year.

The three have been identified as Illiyas, a former Pakistan Army commando, a Pakistani terrorist called Hadoon (or Hadun), and Abu Hamza, the code-name of commander of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.

READ | Several Detained In Massive Search Ops After J&K Air Force Convoy Attack

According to a sketch from the J&K Police, Hamza is described as a 30-32-year-old man of medium build and fair complexion, sporting a trimmed haircut.

He was last seen wearing a Pathani suit with a brown shawl and an orange bag.

A reward of Rs 10 lakh has been offered for information leading to his arrest.

READ | Air Force Soldier Killed, 5 Injured In Terror Attack On Convoy In J&K

The attack on the IAF convoy on May 4 followed numerous terrorist strikes in the Poonch and Rajouri areas over the past few weeks. One of the attacks – in the Shadra Sharief area of Rajouri – saw a 40-year-old man, a government employee, shot dead outside a mosque.

The 40-year-old man, Mohammad Razak, worked with the social welfare department, and his attackers used a United States-made M4 assault rifle and also a pistol.  

READ | Pak Terrorists Carried Out Rajouri Targeted Attack, Used US-Made M4 Rifle

His brother, a soldier in the Territorial Army, was with him during the attack. The terrorists tried to kidnap him but he managed to escape unhurt, a senior officer said.

Security officials indicated the terrorist code-named Abu Hamza was behind that attack.

READ | Lashkar Terrorist Behind Govt Employee’s Killing In Rajouri: Cops

Poonch is part of Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency, which will vote in the sixth phase – May 25 – of the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

These attacks came after two non-locals – a migrant worker from Bihar and a man from Dehradun – were targeted in the Anantnag and Herpora areas of Shopian district.

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Jammu:

Several people were detained on Sunday as security forces launched a massive search operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on two IAF vehicles that left one personnel dead.

Corporal Vikky Pahade of the Air Force was killed and four other air warriors were injured in the terrorist attack in the Bakrabal (Sanai) area of Surankote tehsil of Poonch. Intelligence agencies believe the attack was carried out by a group of terrorists led by Abu Hamza, a foreign terrorist of LeT.

Officials said that in addition to AK assault rifles, the terrorists also used a US-made M4 carbine and steel bullets to cause maximum casualties.

The four injured air warriors were airlifted to the Northern Command Hospital in Udhampur. One was said to be in critical condition, while the other three were stable, according to doctors.

In the wake of the attack, security forces, including the local police, army, and paramilitary forces, started a massive search operation Sunday morning in many areas of Poonch to trace the terrorists. The Army also conducted aerial surveillance using a helicopter, and Para Commandos were also pressed into service in the search operation.

ADGP, Jammu, Anand Jain, and senior officers of the army and intelligence agencies visited the ambush spot in the Surankote area.

Saturday’s attack was the first in Poonch since December 21, 2023, when four army soldiers were killed in a terrorist ambush in the Dera Ki Gali area of Bafliaz in the district.

According to police, Abu Hamza is also responsible for the killing of government employee, Mohammad Razaq, 40, on April 22 in the Kunda Top village of the Thanamandi area of Rajouri district.

Razaq worked in the Social Welfare Department while his brother, Mohammad Tahir Choudhary is serving in the Territorial Army. The terrorists had come to kill the soldier, but when he slipped out of their clutches, they killed his brother instead, police said.

Police have announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh to anyone whose information leads to the tracing of this foreign terrorist believed to be operating in the densely forested area of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)