SRINAGAR, May 12: American interrogators belonging to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will help in digging further details into recent revelations by a top-ranking Pakistani militant about the killing of four western hostages by Al Faran last year.

Moseeb, a Pakistani belonging to the Sindh province, was arrested during a raid by BSF last week. Ranked number three in the Harkat-ul-Ansar hierarchy, Moseeb reportedly told interrogators here that all the four hostages believed to be in captivity since July 1995 were killed and buried in Magam forests last summer.

He, however, was unable to identify the spot of burial as he was not an eyewitness nor had he tried to find out the location. Besides he could not recollect the exact day of their execution, he said.

An FBI team is already in Srinagar in connection with the hostage crisis. The four hostages – Donald Hutchings (USA), Keith Manigan (UK), Paul Wells (UK) and Drek Hasert (Germany) – were abducted by Al Faran, a front for Harkat-ul-Ansar, in July 1995 from Pahalgam hills.

Moseeb said the four had been killed after the militant group lost two of its leaders, Turkey and Sikandar, and the militants found the hostages difficult to handle.

The Harkat-ul-Ansar leadership, based in Pakistan, had reportedly hatched a plan for the abduction of Indian tourists from Banihal, a halting station for buses plying on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, he said.

Sources among various interrogating agencies believe Moseeb's version to be true since he is one of the top-ranking militants of Harkat-ul-Ansar.Moseeb is an advocate's son who finished his pre-university education before joining Harkat group. Sources say he was trained by the ISI and was well versed with the functioning of the security forces in Kashmir. He along with Abu Ghazi, Harkat's main leader in Kashmir, had been living in Kashmir since 1994.

The BSF killed Ghazi, also a Sindhi, during a raid on their hideout. The group is believed to be behind several recent blasts in public places in Jammu Delhi and Pathankot.

The outfit has opened its units in several Indian states and, based on information by Moseeb, security agencies have started a hunt for its leaders all over the country.

According to Moseb there are at least 300 Pakistani nationals working for Harkat-ul-Ansar in Kashmir alone. The organisation is receiving huge funds from Pakistan and the money is being deposited in two local bank branches .

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.