A photo accessed by India Today shows one of the terrorists involved in the attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam carrying an AK-47.
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00:00Exclusive ground report on your screens to help you understand and as you could see surrounded by in that meadow surrounded by the mountains, the forest terrains, the areas and therefore reflective of how possibly the terrorists realize that they can then head back into these dense pine forests and mountains.
00:19Look at that first image on your screen. Now, I understand it's from the bank, but that's the first confirmation of a terrorist, a radical jihadist extremist terrorist who is killing innocent people.
00:33Let's take a look at this exclusive ground report by Meer Fareed from Bait.
00:38It was littered with dead bodies. Now, right now, we've been told that the death count has risen to 28, 28, including 27 non-locals.
00:47One local have been killed while 20 others are injured. Right now, there is an operation that is ongoing.
00:53The army, Indian army, three raster rifles along with the para commandos, SOG of the police, CRPA, whatever resources they have, they're pooled in to ensure that they launch an effective search and combing operation.
01:05Because I'll ask Muzaffar to show you, from that side, we've been told that this group, Falcon Squad of the TRF or the Lashkar, they came in.
01:14They were in army fatigues. The tourists initially thought that it is the Indian army.
01:20They mistook them as Indian army. But then suddenly they started firing from point blank range.
01:25People were shot in the head from very close range. And first, as we have been saying, their religious identity was ascertained and then they were shot.
01:35It is a dense forest area. One can clearly see there are at least two, three mountain ranges on that side.
01:40So, this is not an easy operation for the security forces because if they have chosen this area, they have chosen it because they know that they have an escape plan.
01:51It will take time for the security forces to react, to reach this location, at least one hour reaction time because you have to come on foot on horses or ATVs.
02:01So, they took their time. We've been told that around 250 to 300 bullets have been fired from automatic rifles, including M4 sophisticated rifles.
02:12So, that really is the situation right now. Equipment that could be important for the security forces for an effective search operation is being launched.
02:21Continuously, we can also hear the sound of choppers, choppers which were hovering over UAVs, drones, and that really is the situation right now.
02:32Search operation ongoing in Baisaran and as far as security forces are concerned, massive mobilization.
02:40You can have been told that around 1,500 to 2,000 troops have been mobilized and they are scattered in various parts of this particular forest area.
02:52I'll ask Mosefer to zoom in. As you can see, this is the army operation that is happening.
02:57This place is a meadow but in between you also have vantage points that had been made and it was bubbling with tourist activity when this happened.
03:04So, quite clearly, one of the biggest terror attacks of recent times, purely if you talk of civilians being the target and the response now is something that everyone is waiting for.
03:16What kind of response do the government does plan?
03:20You have a CCS meeting. You also had Amit Shah in Srinagar trying to speak to the local commanders, to the local leadership,
03:27and see what can be done right now to, one, provide relief to the injured and also launch an effective counter-operation against this squad.
03:35With camp person Muzaffar Ahmed, Meer Farid, Baisaran, for India Today.
03:41I want to add here to the viewer.
03:43Please know that my colleague Meer Farid didn't simply land up at the location.
03:47From the usual tourist location, the terrorists chose a trek location, a destination, which is an hour-long trek at least.
03:58It's a non-motorable road, which means that these terrorists who you see firing at innocent people knew that if they choose this destination,
04:07it will be very difficult for the reinforcements of the security forces to come in time.
04:12And I want to play out some of the visuals that we have from that ground report.
04:16We'll continue to play out for you, 2.30pm, between 2 to 2.30pm, when this massacre happened.
04:22What does that mean?
04:23A lunch break hour, people sitting together in the breakout area where they were having a meal,
04:30relaxing with their children, enjoying the weather, when these brutal, brainwashed terrorists came to kill them.
04:39It's a reminder of the kind of strategy at play.
04:41This is pure heartlessness, to not even think twice that you're about to kill innocent individuals who are only on a holiday in their own nation.
04:52And that's what is happening.
04:54And we'll play out that ground report.
04:55Look at that image on your screen.
04:57Image on your screen of the terrorists.
05:00And agencies are looking at, of course, more and more visual evidence to be able to identify if these were Pakistani terrorists,
05:06local terrorists from Kashmir, how involved were they with any sort of local support.
05:11But I want to now go live to Meer Fareed, whose ground report that we looked at.
05:16Fareed, for the benefit of the viewer watching right now, help us understand.
05:22People would think it's Pehelgaam, which is a massive popular tourist destination,
05:26but you and I know that Baisarin is in the upper reaches.
05:30It takes a while to reach there.
05:31Tell us more and why possibly this destination was chosen.
05:34Well, Pooja, this is a very difficult trek to this particular place.
05:44It's full of boulders.
05:45You have streams, then a jungle trek.
05:48So it's not easy to reach this place.
05:49That's why they call it a destination where you can come on horses.
05:53Without wasting time, I'll show you.
05:55This is the location.
05:56Now, the army has sealed it.
05:58This is Baisarin.
05:59And in fact, I'll ask Muzaffar to come this side.
06:03This is the meadow where all these carnage took place.
06:06We started from Pehelgaam at around 5, 5.30.
06:10And it took us almost two hours of trek through this treacherous terrain to reach this location.
06:15So that obviously tells you why this location was first selected for such an attack.
06:23And right now, as you can see, reinforcements of the police army are going in.
06:28And right now, they're sanitizing the area.
06:30This is the meadow of whose visuals yesterday you saw.
06:35The first videos that came out, which were shot by the Ponywalas or the tourists themselves,
06:40there were scenes initially of laughter, they were enjoying,
06:46there were at least 1,500 tourists in this meadow.
06:49And then suddenly, that thing, that calm, that peace was shattered by staccato of machine gunfire
06:57that came from at least three to four sides.
07:00I spoke to people who are here, some Ponywalas who are here.
07:03They said that it came from at least three to four sides.
07:05And then the squad of the Lashkar came down.
07:10There were at least five to six of them.
07:12Some were in army uniforms, some were in Pathani suits.
07:15And they started to identify the people who were there.
07:18They started to identify them on the basis of religion.
07:21And then people were shot from point blank range, straight on the head.
07:26So this is the account of the locals.
07:28And then we also spoke to some nomads as we came up here.
07:31There were some nomad huts here.
07:33And they said that they initially saw helter-skelter tourists rushing down.
07:38And in fact, we know it is very difficult to walk, leave alone, run on this track
07:44because it's full of boulders.
07:45You can fall easily.
07:47And the trip were injured, but they were in absolute panic.
07:51So those helped them, gave them water.
07:53But they said that these scenes, they have never witnessed.
07:56It was mayhem.
07:58And in the background, there were gunshots.
08:00And here, there were tourists who were running helter-skelter.
08:04Right now, behind me, there is a search and combing operation that is happening.
08:08You can see, Pooja, I'll show you the tree line that you're seeing.
08:12It is a jungle area.
08:13There is at least three mountaintops in between.
08:17So that tells you that they could have slipped into the forest area.
08:19And then, obviously, operation becomes tricky.
08:23They have ample space to hide.
08:25And then they also would have had an escape plan.
08:28So that really is the situation.
08:29Pooja, you were saying something.
08:32Yes.
08:32As you're telling us, it clearly appears that the area has been cordoned off.
08:37Tell me this, Farida.
08:38I have a quick question from you.
08:39You also showed us in your ground report that there was this area where they could sit.
08:43They were possibly having lunch or mealtime when the terrorists struck.
08:46Now, it's a reminder that perhaps it was this moment of break, of relaxing and complete chaos.
08:53People would just run for their life.
08:54But it's a massive area.
08:56So I'm trying to understand that the terrorists could come in that easily and then head back right into the forest areas.
09:03We have the image of one terrorist on our screens right now captured by one of the eyewitnesses.
09:08More and more details will come in.
09:10But the terrain clearly appears to be something that was done recce for.
09:14To know it's a non-motorable road,
09:15it will help these terrorists to be able to flee from the location.
09:24Well, absolutely.
09:25They have done their recce and possibly not once but two, three times.
09:29Without wasting time, I'll again take you to the visuals.
09:32I'll tell Muzaffar to show you the chairs that you saw.
09:35That small area where you get snacks and maggie, etc.
09:40A cup of tea.
09:41These are the chairs that you saw in that video.
09:44They were scattered everywhere.
09:46And it is these kind of small tea shops that you would find here.
09:50There is no major infrastructure.
09:52Then you have some vantage points.
09:54And then this absolutely gorgeous open valley.
09:56This is one of the few meadows in Pahalgaam.
09:59It's full of jungles.
10:00It's full of waterfalls, etc.
10:02But this is a rare meadow.
10:04And that's why people come here using horses.
10:06They come trekking ATVs.
10:09You can't come in a normal vehicle.
10:10They enjoy that ride.
10:12And they were, in a way, cut off from lower Pahalgaam and cut off from any security cover.
10:17Because there was no security cover.
10:18There was no security jawan here.
10:20They were down in their camps.
10:22It was almost 45 minute distance between them.
10:26Even if they use ATVs or horses.
10:29So they were far away.
10:30And that's why, as you also rightly said, this spot has been chosen very meticulously.
10:35Considering that they have an easy sitting duck option to hit.
10:39And then also...
10:40This is similar.
10:41This is similar to RYASI.
10:43Other terror attacks in the Jammu region.
10:46Where they are looking for locations which are slightly upper reaches.