Commander and the mastermind of the Pulwama suicide attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were martyred in 2019 was killed on Saturday in an operation by the security forces. Lamboo alias Saifullah alias Adnan was killed along with another militant in an encounter in Dachan forest in Pulwama.
The killing of 40 CRPF personnel at Lethpora on February 14, 2019, resulted in air strikes by Indian Air Force on JeM camp at Balakote in Khyber Pakhtoon province of Pakistan 12 day after the attack.
Pakistan retaliated to the attack by dropping bombs in Rajouri close to the air camps a day later. The IAF and PAF had also engaged in an aerial clash in Rajouri and one IAF fighter, MIG 21 was shot down by the PAF and the pilot Abinandhan Vardhman was taken captive. He was released a few days later after India mounted pressure on Pakistan.
Lamboo was also an IED expert and was involved in many militancy related incidents.
At a joint press conference by Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps headquarters, GoC 15 Corps D.P. Pandey, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar and GoC ‘Victor Force’ Maj. Gen. Rashim Bali termed the killing of Lamboo as a major success for security forces.
“Saifullah alias Adnan alias Lamboo was active for the past few years in south Kashmir,’’ Pandey said. “Based on an input generated by the police, boys from Victor Force launched an operation in the dense woods of the Dachigam area of Pulwama on July 27”. He said due to inclement weather, all cautions were taken.
Pandey said in the morning, contact was established with the militants and in the ensuing encounter Lamboo and another militant, whose identity is being ascertained, were killed. He said Lamboo was an IED expert and a highly trained militant and was responsible for many attacks and for brainwashing young boys into militancy.
Kumar said Lamboo is a relative of JeM chief Masood Azhar and had infiltrated into Kashmir in 2017.
“There were 14 FIRs registered against him and he was the mastermind and main accused in the February 14, 2019 Lethpora fidayeen attack,” he said. “In total, there are 19 accused. Seven have been arrested and with Lamboo, seven have been killed. Five are still absconding.”
He said the NIA has named him in the chargehseet regarding Pulwama suicide attack.
Kumar said the JeM commander was also involved in the killing of SPO Fayaz Ahmed, his wife and daughter in Tral recently.
Bali said Lamboo had been fleeing from the cordons. He said today he tried to take cover of two women, but boys from the Victor Force in a professional manner zeroed in on him and killed him and his associate in just three minutes without a scratch to civilians.
He said an M-4 carbine, a Glock pistol, a Chinese pistol and an Ak-47 rifle has been recovered from the slain. “Glock pistol is a semi-automatic pistol and is not being carried by all,” he said.