Al-Qaeda Kashmir chief Musa reportedly trapped in Tral

Massive clashes erupted between stone pelting mobs and security forces in south Kashmir's Tral area on Friday evening after reports of global terror outfit Al-Qaeda's Kashmir chief Zakir Musa being trapped in the area spread.

Sources said security forces launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) at around 7 pm and conducted house-to-house searches in Shah Mohalla, Peer Mohalla and Dangerpora in Noorpora, Tral, the native area of Musa. The cordon around the area has been tightened as Musa is believed to be hiding in a house, they said.

Authroities also suspended Internet services in the area to prevent the “spreading of rumours.” However, police didn't confirm whether Musa was hiding in the area or not. "There could be some other suspects but we have no definitive information about Musa. Let us wait for the searches to get over. So far no one has been found,” Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Munir Khan told reporters.

There were reports that Musa had been trapped in the area by the security forces. Reports said as soon the news spread, stone pelting mobs clashed with security forces in Noorpora with people trying to disrupt the anti-terror operation.

A senior police officer told DH over phone that the inner cordon has been tightened so the militants can't flee taking advantage of the darkness. "The search operation would resume with the first light of the morning," he said.

Musa, who succeeded slain Burhan Wani last July as commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, was recently named as head of 'Ansar Ghazwatul Hind' (the Islamic name of the local al-Qaeda group).

Musa, an engineering college dropout, had stirred up a hornet’s nest in May when he threatened to chop off heads of those separatist leaders who claim the Kashmir struggle as political and not Islamic.

Consequently, Hizbul commanders based in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir termed his statement as “unacceptable” and his “personal opinion.” Following the snub, Musa disassociated from the militant outfit and recently Global Islamic Media Front, the propaganda arm of Al-Qaeda declared that he would head up the terror outfit-affiliated Ansar Ghawzat-ul-Hind in Kashmir.