Emir of Al-Qaeda affiliate in Kashmir gunned down by Indian forces

Zakir Musa, emir of Al-Qaeda affiliate in Kashmir Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, was killed by Indian security forces in a brief encounter in Dadsara village of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district in early morning hours on Monday.

A news report at the Porter Medium says:

A gunfight initially broke out between militants and Indian security forces at Dadsara village in the Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district late Thursday evening which turned into an operation that last for nearly 11 hours. A joint team of the Indian Army’s 42 RR, Special Operations Group of J&K Police and the paramilitary company CRPF cordoned off the village and launched a hunt for Musa.

According to local police officials, Zakir Musa was initially told to surrender but he fired UBGL grenades on the security forces, after which an operation to kill him was launched.

Musa was a former commander of pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM) group since 2013 while pursuing engineering from a college in Punjab. Later he founded his own group Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, an affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Musa’s disagreements with his previous group HuM included his radical beliefs as well as his view that the conflict of Kashmir is a religious one, instead of a political one.