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February 18, 2019

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India holds 23 suspects over deadly bomb attack

Source: Agencies | 00:00 UTC+8 February 18, 2019 | Print Edition

Indian forces have detained 23 men suspected of links to the Pakistan-based militant group that masterminded the bombing of an Indian security convoy that killed 44 paramilitary police in Kashmir, a top police official said yesterday.

The 23 men included members and sympathizers of Jaish-e-Mohammad, the militant group which has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, the deadliest on Indian security forces in decades.

The attack has fueled tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has demanded Pakistan close down Jaish and other Islamist militant groups that operate from its soil, while Islamabad has rejected suggestions it was linked to the attack.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region at the heart of decades of hostility, is claimed in its entirety by India and Pakistan, but is ruled in part by both South Asian countries.

Representatives of India’s National Investigating Agency questioned the suspects about the bombing yesterday.

“They are trying to reach out to the top commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammad, including its Kashmir chief,” one of the sources said.

Mohammed Umair, the commander of Jaish in Kashmir who is believed to have plotted the attack, is suspected to be hiding in the region where the attacks took place, officials said.

The officials say Umair had “radicalized and motivated” the Kashmiri school dropout who rammed a car laden with explosives into the convoy.

Umair is thought to have entered Indian Kashmir from Pakistan in September to head the Jaish in the region.

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