A suicide bombing killing 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir triggered the 2019 India–Pakistan military standoff, the most serious escalation between the two nuclear powers in decades.
Key Facts
- Date
- 14 February 2019
- CRPF personnel killed
- 40 personnel
- Perpetrator
- Adil Ahmad Dar (local Kashmiri youth)
- Claiming group
- Jaish-e-Mohammed (Pakistan-based)
- Accused identified
- 19 individuals
- Attack method
- Vehicle-borne suicide bomb on security convoy
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based Islamist militant group, organised a suicide attack targeting Indian security forces in the disputed Kashmir region, exploiting local recruitment. Adil Ahmad Dar, a young man from Pulwama district, carried out the bombing. India held Pakistan responsible, though Pakistan denied involvement and condemned the attack.
On 14 February 2019, a convoy of Central Reserve Police Force vehicles travelling along the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway at Lethapora, Pulwama, was struck by a vehicle laden with explosives driven by the suicide bomber. The blast killed 40 CRPF personnel and the perpetrator, making it one of the deadliest attacks on Indian security forces in Kashmir.
The attack severely damaged India–Pakistan relations and directly triggered the 2019 India–Pakistan military standoff. Indian investigations identified 19 accused; by August 2021 the primary accused and six others had been killed, while seven were arrested. The incident prompted Indian airstrikes inside Pakistani territory and heightened bilateral tensions.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent