Two days after busting a terror module in the Baramulla district, police said that arrested terrorists were planning to revive the Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) outfit in the North Kashmir region of Jammu and Kashmir.
The AGuH is an affiliate of the global terror organization Al-Qaeda and for the last few months, terrorists were planning to revive this group in Kashmir Valley.
"During the initial questioning, the arrested terrorists revealed that they were assigned the job from across the border to revive off-shoots of Al-Qaeda in some parts of North Kashmir to intensify attack on security forces and members of the minority community," police sources said and added that some of the arrested terrorists were in touch with Pakistan-based handlers.
Notable Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa, who was a self-styled commander of the Hizbul Mujahedeen outfit, formed Al-Qaeda's offshoot in Jammu and Kashmir following differences with other terror groups.
In July 2017 the Global Islamic Media Front-affiliated Al-Hurr media channel of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind claimed that Zakir Musa had been named the head of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a newly created cell of Al-Qaeda.
Zakir Musa was one of the most wanted terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. On 21 December 2018, the group's deputy leader Soliha Mohammad Akhoon, also known as Rehaan Khan, was killed in an encounter with 42 Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF along with five other terrorists.
On 24 May 2019, security forces killed Zakir Musa in an encounter in the Tral area of Kashmir. Security forces had to blast a chemist's house where Musa was hiding. Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh, in October 2019 said that the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind has been wiped out of Kashmir.
Module of Zakir Mosa's outfit busted on Monday
Sopore Police along with 22 Rashtriya Riffle of the Army busted a module of the radical Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind in North Kashmir's Sopore on Monday. Four terrorist associates have been arrested. A joint team of the police and the Army established a checkpoint in Sopore on specific input about the movement of terrorists.
The police said Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat, a handler of the group, was among the four arrested members and a huge cache of arms and ammunition had been recovered.
According to a police spokesman, Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat of Chanapora, Srinagar, along with Ishfaq Ahmed Shah of Budgam, was caught at a checkpoint in Sopore. Incriminating material, arms, and ammunition, including a pistol, a magazine, 10 rounds, and three grenades, were seized from them.
During interrogation, they revealed the names of two terror associates, identified as Abdul Majeed Kumar of Bernate in Boniyar and Abdul Rashid Kumar of Pattan. They too were arrested and a pistol, a magazine, 10 rounds besides 11 grenades were seized from them, the spokesman said.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the busted module was being handled by Ahsaan Dar and Chaudhary from across the border.
Earlier Al-Qaeda operative from West Bengal was arrested in Ramban
Earlier on November 7 Jammu and Kashmir police arrested an Al Qaeda operative from Ramban district, who was on his way to Kashmir Valley. The arrested terrorist was a resident of West Bengal and was on a mission to establish a network of the proscribed terror group in Kashmir Valley.
According to police, on specific information about the movement of some terrorists on the highway, Ramban Police started checking vehicles plying on the road. During checking, police apprehended one Al Qaeda operative namely Amiruddin Khan son of Mostafa Khan of Mashita Haora, West Bengal.
