The three Jaish-e-Mohammad militants who had attacked a training centre of the Central Reserve Police Force in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on December 31 were attempting to avenge the death of one of the group’s commanders, police said. One of the extremist group’s commanders, Noor Mohammad Tantray, was killed in Awantipora’s Samboora area on December 25, NDTV reported.

The terrorists were reportedly trained by Tantray, Jammu and Kashmir’s Inspector General of Police Munir Ahmed Khan said. He added that the security forces had recovered 24 grenades from the body of Fardeen Ahmed, who was one of the terrorists killed. “It shows that the terrorists had come for a long haul and they had wanted to prolong it for at least four days,” Khan said.

Ahmed, the son of a serving policeman, had released a video message in which he urged the youth to join the Jaish-e-Mohammed. He also threatened in the undated video that the militant group would carry out terror attacks across India.