Islamabad: Ilyas Kashmiri, the commander of Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami, who was reportedly killed in a US drone, was still alive, sources revealed late on Friday.
The sources from Pakistan tribal areas said that Ilyas Kashmiri, Commander 313 brigade of HuJI, was alive and easily moves along with Pak-Afghan border areas, Dawn news, a private Pakistani news channel reported.
It is pertinent to mention here that alleged reported surfaced in Pakistani and international media that Ilyas Kashmiri had been killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan’s tribal region on June 03. At least nine people were killed in the drone attack that targeted an apple garden.
The sources said that Pakistani and American intelligence authorities have no evidence that Kashmiri had been killed in the US drone attack.
The sources further said that Pakistan intelligence sources also told its foreign office that he has no proof of Kashmiri death in the US drone strike.
According to the sources, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan used deception policy, usually use in war as a tactics to divert his enemy from the right path, by confirming that Kashmiri had been killed.
But the sources said that Kashmiri was still alive and actively plotting terrorist plans.
Kashmiri was held responsible for a number of attacks in Pakistan, including the May 22 siege on the Navy’s air base in Karachi and in October 2009 on the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
HuJI was believed by the United States to be behind the March 2006 suicide bombing of the US consulate in Karachi which killed four people and wounded 48.
The US Department of State labeled Kashmiri a “specially designated global terrorist”, adding him to a list of high-profile militants.
The sources further added that it was not the first time when such type of tactics was used to divert its enemy.
Same trick was used in Hakimullah Mehsud case. On February 8, 2010 the reports emerged in the media that Mehsud had been killed but on January 6, 2011, Hakimullah Mehsud abruptly surfaced in the media and claimed the responsibility of attack in Khoast.
