Pulwama Attack Mastermind Hamza Burhan Reportedly Shot Dead by Unknown Gunmen in PoJK

Hamza Burhan, believed to be one of the masterminds behind the 2019 Pulwama attack, was reportedly shot dead by unknown gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK).

 

According to reports, Burhan was attacked in Muzaffarabad, where unknown assailants opened fire on him. He suffered multiple bullet injuries and later died.

 

Burhan, also known by the alias “Doctor,” was a resident of Pulwama district of J&K. He went to Pakistan in 2017 reportedly for higher studies, but later joined the banned terror group Al-Badr and eventually became one of its commanders.

 

He was declared a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2022. Indian agencies had earlier named him as one of the main persons involved in planning the Pulwama suicide bombing.

 

The Pulwama attack took place on February 14, 2019, when Adil Ahmed Dar, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, drove an explosives filled vehicle into a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Lethpora in Pulwama district. The attack killed 40 CRPF personnel.

 

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing so far. The Pulwama attack had led to massive outrage across India and was followed by the Balakot airstrikes against terror camps in Pakistan.