The Hindu : 'Local terrorists not behind J&K carnage'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 28, 2003

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'Local terrorists not behind J&K carnage'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 27. Based on electronic intercepts and information from sources, the Army has reasons to believe that local militants were not involved in the massacre of 24 persons in Nadimarg, Pulwama district.

``Local militants cannot do this kind of act. Only foreign terrorists have done it and two main groups are Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). There is no doubt about their involvement even though they have changed their names,'' the Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Shantonu Choudhry, told reporters today.

LeT, in particular, is believed to be responsible for several massacres beginning with 16 civilians in Doda in 1996. It is also held responsible for the Chattisinghpura massacre in which 35 Sikhs were killed. JeM, on the other hand, was blamed for attacks on Parliament and J&K Assembly. Locals in the affected village told Army officials and intelligence agencies that the exchanges between militants did not suggest that they were speaking in Kashmiri.

An intercept at 9 a.m. — the day after the massacre — also indicated that local militants were not involved. `` The Nadimarg killing was inhuman,'' said the intercept in Kashmiri.

The timing of the message and the idiom used are crucial, point out Army officers.

The tone is deprecatory and the message was sent after the news of the incident had spread. According to the direction finding equipment used by security agencies, the call originated from the vicinity.

The village, of which the hamlet of Kashmiri Pandits is a part, and some surrounding areas are said to have Hizb-ul Mujahideen supporters.

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