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Has Al Qaeda Really Been Able to Make Inroads in Kashmir

Anees Zargar |
Zakir Musa defected from HM with the slogan of “Sharia and Shahadat” and gave allegiance to Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda

Has Al Qaeda Really Been Able to Make Inroads in Kashmir

A major shift in the character of Kashmir insurgency - under the brand name of Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind – appears inevitable. This, however, depends on whether Al Qaeda franchise has really been able to make inroads in Kashmir, so far fairly unclear.

Days after Lashkar e Toiba’s (LeT) former top commander Abu Dujana was killed in Pulwama area of South Kashmir, Zakir Rashid aka Musa, recently announced head of Al Qaeda Kashmir, paid homage to the militant. Dujana was killed along with his local associate Arif Lelhari in the encounter on August 2. 

Zakir, in an unverified audio message owned both Dujana and Arif Lelhaari.

Dujana had taken reins of LeT in the valley, after his predecessor Abu Qasim aka Abdul Rahman was killed in a gunfight in October 2015. Like Qasim, Dujana also survived for more than five years before being zeroed in by the government forces. Reports suggested Dujana had fallen apart with LeT’s top command before he was killed and rallied around Zakir, a former Hizbul Mujahideen commander.

“Both Dujana and Arif decided to join Islam’s cause after they heard about it and played a key role in formation of Ansar,” Musa claimed in the message.

Earlier on July 27, reports claimed 23-year-old Zakir has been appointed by an Al Qaeda affiliate propaganda channel as head of the outfit’s Kashmir cell, marking a drastic turn in the nearly three decade old insurgency of the state.

Kashmir hitherto has largely remained beyond Al Qaeda and other global militant outfits’ ideological and operational reach which is also why the chief of United Jihad Council (UJC), a conglomerate of dozen odd militant groups operational in Kashmir, opposed the declaration.

“There is no scope or room for Daesh (Islamic State) and Al Qaeda like outfits, we don’t need them and denounce those who misguide people in the name of ‘sharia and shahadat’,” UJC’s Syed Salahuddin said only hours after the announcement was made.

Before supporting Al Qaeda, Zakir defected from Kashmir’s largest militant outfit HM with the slogan of “Sharia and Shahadat” and denounced his handlers and the Valley’s separatist front for running a political agenda outside ‘Islamic values’.  When he defected in May, his group operated, until the latest announcement, without any organizational backing. Most of his associates have since then been killed in counter-insurgency operations including Dujana and another close aide Sabzar Bhat.

Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid recently told reporters there are about five militants with Zakir currently and his sympathisers number around 20.

But, the concern among the security establishment remains more of on the “ideological” front rather than with regards to “organizational support” to Zakir’s group.  

A senior police official posted in Kashmir says there are two important factors related to Zakir’s group. “Firstly, the group has to prove how different they are as compared to the already existing militant outfits in the valley and secondly, the pattern of violence that will follow,” the official said.

Despite Zakir’s allegiance to Al Qaeda brand, the security officials in Kashmir believe Zakir has no organizational support behind him. “His claim seems more symbolic than actual,” a senior Army official wishing anonymity said.

Sources in the Army added, the pattern in the violence will hardly change. “A shift in the nature of attacks is unlikely because Zakir’s group lack both numbers and firepower,” the army official points out.

Zakir features among the Army’s list of most wanted militants which also included Dujana, Bashir Lashkari (both killed) from LeT and HM’s top commanders like Javaid Naikoo and Yasin Yatoo, are active as key operational commanders in South Kashmir.  Other than Naikoo and Yatoo, HM’s Ishfaq Thokar, Saddam Padder and Abu Ismael, who replaced Dujana as LeT’s new commander – in terms of operations - are the most sought after militants in Kashmir by the security grid. 

The counter-insurgency operations have been stepped after nearly a hundred youth joined militant ranks in the aftermath of killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, a year ago. The militant outfits in Kashmir are taking a massive assault from security agencies with many of their top militant commanders getting killed swiftly.

For Al Qaeda’s ideology to take a lead in Kashmir will also mean its subscribers have to fight on several fronts against the security establishment and also against the already existing militant outfits like HM and supersede them. This would also mean a significant shift with regards to gather credibility to Al Qaeda own tactics and attacks, a risk that kept the ideology away from the valley for decades despite top brass of the global outfit expressing support to Kashmir insurgency and also alleged training of insurgents.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Newsclick.

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