Indian forces kill leader of al Qaeda affiliate in Kashmir: police
Indian forces have killed the leader of an al-Qaeda
affiliated militant group in Kashmir, police said on Friday, triggering
protests in parts of the disputed region.
Zakir Rashid Bhat, 25, was trapped by security forces in a
three-storey house in southern Kashmir late on Thursday, said a senior police
officer, adding that the house was set ablaze during the operation.
“As we were clearing debris from the house, he tried to get
up. Our troops fired at him and he was killed,” said the officer, who declined
to be named because he was not authorized to speak to media.
For decades, separatists have fought an armed conflict
against Indian rule in Kashmir, with the majority of them wanting independence
for the Himalayan region, or to join New Delhi’s arch rival Pakistan.
India has stepped up an offensive against militants in the
Muslim-majority region since a suicide attack in February killed 40 Indian
troopers in Kashmir and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
Pakistan denies giving material support to militants in
Kashmir but says it provides moral and diplomatic backing for the
self-determination of Kashmiri people.
Protests by supporters of Bhat broke out in parts of Kashmir
on Thursday and there were reports of demonstrations early on Friday, the
police officer said.
Fearing more unrest, authorities said schools were closed
and railway services suspended in the affected areas.
Any large scale unrest in the region would be a challenge
for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he prepares for a second term after
winning a general election on Thursday.
Bhat, a former commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, the
largest of the militant groups fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir, founded
his own group and declared its association with al-Qaeda in 2017.
Also known as Zakir Musa, he was seen as a successor to
Burhan Wani, a popular Hizbul Mujahideen commander whose death in 2016 sparked
clashes that left 90 civilians dead.