A billion people aren't a statistic - they're a billion stories. Let me tell you one.
Hamza Burhan, the militant commander who orchestrated the 2019 Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel and nearly sparked a war between two nuclear powers, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, according to multiple security sources.
The killing of Burhan, who served as a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, occurred in Muzaffarabad, the administrative capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Indian intelligence agencies confirmed his death through intercepts and ground sources, though the circumstances remain murky.
The February 14, 2019 Pulwama attack shocked India to its core. A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy carrying Central Reserve Police Force personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, killing 40 soldiers in the deadliest attack on Indian forces in three decades of Kashmir insurgency. Burhan was identified as the key planner who coordinated logistics and recruited the suicide bomber.
India responded with airstrikes on Balakot inside Pakistan, triggering a dangerous military escalation that saw dogfights between Indian and Pakistani jets and the brief capture of an Indian pilot. The crisis brought South Asia's nuclear rivals closer to conflict than at any time since 1999.
The mystery now gripping intelligence circles across the subcontinent: who killed Hamza Burhan, and why?
Several scenarios are circulating. Indian security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggest the possibility of covert operations by Indian agencies - a message that those who orchestrate attacks on Indian soil are not beyond reach, even in Pakistan-controlled territory. New Delhi has previously conducted surgical strikes and cross-border raids, demonstrating a willingness under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pursue militants across the Line of Control.
