Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, ISJK join hands, planning to attack security forces in Kashmir: Report

SRINAGAR: Terror group Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind (AGH), an offshoot of global terror outfit Al Qaeda, has joined hands with Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) to carry out joint attacks on the Indian security forces operating in Jammu and Kashmir. 

According to intelligence agencies, the two terror outfits are on the verge of being completely wiped out due to heightened military operations by the security forces in the Kashmir Valley with most of their leadership eliminated one by one.

Both AGH and ISJK are extremely short of ammunition and hence the two outfits are planning to launch a joint attack on the security forces and loot their weapons.

The recent terror attacks in Shopian and Bijbehara are proof that these outfits are desperate to attack the security establishment and loot their ammunition. 

The inputs gathered by the intelligence agencies suggest that the two terror outfits have now decided to target the road-opening parties of the security forces.

Security forces had recently killed Abdul Hameed Lelhari, the successor of slain terrorist Zakir Musa and AGH commander, in an encounter in Tral.

After his elimination in the Tral encounter, Burhan Koka has been named as the new commander of the terror outfit.

The Jammu Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh had said that AGH has been wiped out from Jammu and Kashmir after Lelhari's killing in Tral.

"As of now, Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind group (AGH) has been wiped out," DGP Singh said on Wednesday.

He, however, noted that it is possible that the AGH would re-emerge in future. Lelhari and two other terrorists were killed by security forces on Tuesday. It is to be noted that Lelhari was heading Al-Qaida linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind after the killing of Musa.

According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, Lelhari and two other terrorists were working in coordination with Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad.

"In Tral, 3 local militants associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind were killed yesterday. You would recall that when Zakir Musa was killed, the command of this group was handed over to Hameed Lelhari," Singh had said.

He added that Lelhari took to terrorism in 2016 and was involved in several terror attacks in Kashmir valley.

DGP Singh said that despite apprehensions expressed by some that more youth from Kashmir Valley will join terrorism after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, the pace of recruitment for terrorist activities has been quite slow.

The DGP also rejected reports that the Centre is once again planning to ban the use of mobile phones in Kashmir Valley.

"Through launching pads near Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan Army & ISI are involved in pushing in the maximum number of militants towards Indian side," he was quoted as saying by ANI.