Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 8

Burhan Wani’s six-year-long journey from a teenage boy who left home in 2010 to the most wanted militant ‘commander’ in the Kashmir valley brought ‘glamour’ to the region’s militancy.Wani (21) was killed in a gunfight in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir this evening. The first image of his corpse showed his bloodied face.His killing has dented new-age militancy as it will be hard for it to find a new poster boy whose images and videos can become instantly viral across the region.Wani joined militants in October 2010 and operated in the forest of Tral sub-district. A resident of Sharifabad locality of Tral, Wani was initially tutored by his cousin and militant ‘commander’ Adil Mir.He was made ‘commander’ of militants following Mir’s killing in 2014. He instantly became the face and voice of a new generation of Kashmir’s militants which relied little on Pakistani backing and counted heavily on local support.Wani made a mark on insurgency by introducing its largely anonymous and underground ranks to the public through social media.Wani’s image first got leaked into the public domain in May 2013 when a militant, mistaken to be him, was killed in a forest near south Kashmir’s Tral sub-district.The accidental leak of his images made Wani the poster boy of insurgency. For the past three years, he made its optimum use. His images and videos gave militants a new face and a new voice and generated sympathy and support for them.Last year, Wani made a video statement in which he imitated the style and monologue of global ‘jihadi’ groups and called for establishment of a caliphate.He featured in pictures with other militants, images which became viral in the age of social media and gave a new lease of life to militancy.Wani is believed to have led very few militant attacks himself, but his social media presence made him the most known face in Kashmir.From October 2010 to July 2016, Wani survived nearly six years as a militant, changing the dynamics of militants that looked hard for security agencies to reverse.

Restrictions imposed in Srinagar areas

• Srinagar: The administration has decided to impose restrictions in old Srinagar and volatile Maisuma localities on Saturday to maintain law and order situation in wake of killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. Deputy Commissioner Farooq Lone said restrictions would be imposed in areas falling under jurisdictions of six police stations, including Rainawari, Nowhatta, MR Gunj, Khaniyar, Safakadal and Maisuma. — TNS

Omar says ‘disaffected’ have got ‘new icon’ in Wani

Omar Abdullah. PTI photo

Srinagar, July 9

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday that Kashmir’s “disaffected” found a “new icon” in Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and voiced fears that his death could lead to more youngsters being radicalised.

“Mark my words — Burhan’s ability to recruit into militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media,” Abdullah wrote on microblogging site Twitter.

“After many years, I hear slogans for ‘Azadi’ resonate from the mosque in my uptown Srinagar locality. Kashmir’s disaffected got a new icon yesterday,” the National Conference leader said.

People assembled in Tral — Wani’s hometown — in Pulwama district for Wani’s funeral.

The former chief minister said on Friday that Wani was not the first, nor will he be the last, to take up arms, so long as the Kashmir problem remained unresolved.

“For all Burhan’s social media activity I don’t recall any militancy incident attributed to him while I was in office. Not sure after that,” said.

Wani, considered to be Hizbul Mujahideen’s most prominent face, was among the three militants security forces shot dead on Friday in Anantnag’s Kokernag. — PTI

Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizb working in tandem in south Kashmir

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, July 8

The recent uptick in militant attacks, particularly in the south Kashmir region, might be due to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba cadre working in close coordination, believe security agencies.There have been some audacious attacks in June along the Anantnag-Srinagar stretch of the national highway. Thirteen security force personnel, including eight CRPF men, three BSF personnel and two members of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, have been killed in the three attacks carried out in Pampore, Bijbehara and Anantnag town. As many as 22 personnel of the CRPF were also injured.The Pampore attack , which was most gruesome of the three and probably one of the biggest-ever in the Kashmir valley in terms of casualties, was later claimed by Lashkar-e-Toiba; the Bijbehara attack by Hizb and the Anantnag attack was traced to Lashkar. Despite separate claims for attacks, security agencies believe the militant outfits are working in an absolute tandem, at least, in south Kashmir.A senior police official, on condition of anonymity, said they had inputs that meetings between the cadre of Lashkar and Hizb had taken place before every attack to finalise the modalities and chalk out strategy.“They have planned every attack together and have provided each other logistics and in some cases even manpower,” the police official said.He said Lashkar commander Abu Dujana, who took over after Abu Qasim was killed last year, had been instrumental in bringing the two outfits together. Dujana is thought to be the mastermind of many attacks, including Pampore on June 25.Security forces came across one such meeting of the militant outfits on June 30 in Pulwama district, a day ahead of Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to the Valley. Two militants, including a local and a foreigner, were killed during the gunfight that followed.South Kashmir region has a total of around 60-65 militants presently operating within the five police districts, including Kulgam, Pulwama, Anantnag, Awantipora and Shopian.Only 17 of the total are Lashkar cadre, seven of them foreign nationals.Officially Anantnag and Shopian do not have any Lashkar cadre. However, the June 5 attack on policemen in Anantnag stands testimony that the militants cross over to other areas to strike.“They operate from different areas under different aliases, particularly the non-locals. Obviously they are provided support by the locals active in that particular area regardless of the outfit,” said a police official from Kulgam district which has highest number (five) of Lashkar men active.

The Abu Dujana link

• Despite separate claims for recent attacks, security agencies believe the militant outfits are working in an absolute tandem, at least, in south Kashmir
• Police have inputs that meetings between the cadre of Lashkar and Hizb took place before every attack to finalise the modalities and chalk out strategy
• Lashkar commander Abu Dujana, who took over after Abu Qasim was killed last year, has been instrumental in bringing the two outfits together, said a police official