Zakir Musa’s killing has ended ISIS militancy in Valley, says DGP

He said police and other forces have killed all those who had joined him.
Two militants were killed in a fresh encounter with security forces in Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district | Zahoor Punjabi
Two militants were killed in a fresh encounter with security forces in Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district | Zahoor Punjabi

SRI NAGAR: The Director General of J&K Police Dilbagh Singh said that the idea of militancy with ISIS ideology started by Zakir Musa has ended with his killing and revealed that 275 militants are active in the Valley.

Musa, 25, who was chief of al-Qaeda linked group Ansar Gazwatul Hind (AGH) was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Tral area in south Kashmir on Thursday night. The DGP said, “It was not acceptable to people within and outside the state. He made a lot of attempts to make the youth join him but failed.”

He said police and other forces have killed all those who had joined him. “Musa was the last and has been killed.”Musa had quit Hizb in 2017 after differences with the leadership of the group following his threat to behead separatist leaders in city centre Lal Chowk. A few months later, he was appointed chief of AGH.
Musa, an engineering student, had joined militancy in 2013 and was one of the most wanted militants in Kashmir before his killing last week.

Asked how many militants were active in Valley at present, the DGP said, “275 militants are still active. Of them 100-125 are foreign militants and rest are locals”. He said that militants’ numbers were on the decline with only 40 youth joining militancy this year.“The infiltration of militants from across the Line of Control has also come down. If this trend continues, it will strengthen our efforts to restore peace,” he said.

Meanwhile, two militants were killed in a fresh encounter with security forces in Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. A police official said the operation was clean and there was no collateral damage during the encounter. “Both militants hiding in the area were killed in a two-hour long gunfight,” the officer said. There has been no let up in encounters during the holy month of Ramadan in the Valley and about 18 militants have been killed so far.

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