MUZAFFARABAD: One of the alleged masterminds of the 2019 Pulwama attack, which left more than 40 CRPF personnel dead, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), reports said.
The deceased was identified as Hamza Burhan, also known as “Doctor”, who sustained multiple bullet injuries after being attacked in Muzaffarabad. Burhan, a resident of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, was designated as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2022.
According to reports, Burhan was born in Kharbatpora in the Ratnipora area of Pulwama and had crossed over to Pakistan in 2017 under the pretext of pursuing higher studies. He later joined the banned terror outfit Al-Badr and eventually rose to the rank of commander within the outfit.
The Pulwama attack, carried out on February 14, 2019, remains one of the deadliest terror attacks on Indian security forces. A suicide bomber linked to Jaish-e-Muhammad rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force at Lethpora in Pulwama district, killing 40 personnel.
Following the attack, the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes on terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan, significantly escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
