Three AuGH militants killed in Kashmir’s Tral

Three militants, belonging to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an affiliate of Al Qaeda in Kashmir, have been killed in an encounter with security forces in Tral area of southern Pulwama district on Wednesday.

Sources said that the gunfight erupted after a joint team of army’s 42-Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) at Arihal Bridge in Tral, 34 kms from here, on Tuesday night after a ‘specific information’ about the presence of militants in the area.

“While the cordon was being laid, the hiding militants opened fire on security forces. Early in the morning, all the three ultras hiding in the area were killed in retaliatory action by the forces,” they said and added the slain militants were earlier affiliated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit but had recently joined the AGuH.

The slain ultras are identified as Jehangir Wani, Umer Maqbool Bhat and Uzair Bhat, all locals. Police said that three weapons and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site.

Wani was the second-in-command to Hizbul commander Hammad Khan in Tral. Sources said he joined AuGH shortly before Hammad was killed by security forces in January this year.

A police official said the slain ultras were involved in a series of militancy acts including the killing of civilians Mehraj-ud-din Zargar in November 2019, Ghulam Nabi Mir in February 2020 and the arson of a truck last November.

On October 23, J&K police chief Dilbagh Singh had claimed that AuGH had been wiped out from Kashmir with the killing of three local militants, including group’s top commander Hamid Lelhari. After the killing of AuGH chief Zakir Musa last year, command of the militant outfit was given to Lelhari.

However, a senior police officer told DH there is some indication that AuGH has succeeded in generating a preliminary base of militants. “After the group’s formation in July 2017, there were two high-profile instances in which the senior commanders of Pakistan-supported groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Abu Dujana and Abu Hammas, switched their affiliation, adopting the AuGH banner instead,” he said.

“The AuGH ideology has takers in Kashmir, especially young radicalised youth. In the coming months there is every possibility that more local youth may join the group,” the officer warned.