Islamic State Khorasan branch warns of more attacks in Kashmir amid targeted killings
Amid a series of targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir, terror group Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has warned that more such attacks could take place in the Valley.
The 21st edition of ISKP’s India mouthpiece ‘Voice of Hind’ carried a photo that shows a hawker being shot from behind. The caption to the photo reads “WE ARE COMING”.
ISKP had also released the video of the shooting after the killing of a non-local street vendor in Jammu and Kashmir.
The magazine also carries a photo of Hindu deities with a trident, indicating that they would be targeted. A few days ago, security agencies caught many terrorists who were planning to carry out blasts during the festival season.
ISKP has been releasing the Voice of Hind magazine since February 2020, which emerged as a fountainhead of large-scale radicalisation of Muslim youth in the Valley.
ISKP’s sleeper cell is spread across Jammu and Kashmir. Security agencies had issued an alert that terrorist organisations could carry out terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Security agencies also suspect that Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI is behind the recent attacks.
Many small organisations have been formed to carry out terrorist attacks, which would then take responsibility for attacks and target killings, agencies said.
The National Investigative Agency (NIA) has cracked down on several people linked to ISKP in the Valley. On October 10, NIA carried out raids at 16 locations in the Valley.
Eleven civilians have been murdered by terrorists in Kashmir in the last 15 days, including five non-locals. On Sunday, terrorists shot down two non-local labourers and injured another in Kulgam district of South Kashmir.
On Saturday last week, a street hawker from Bihar and a labourer from Uttar Pradesh were killed in two back-to-back attacks by terrorists.
Earlier this month, a street hawker from Bihar, Virendra Paswan, was killed by terrorists in Srinagar’s Eidgah area.
The rising attacks on civilians has prompted the security agencies to heighten security and intensify crackdown on militant activities in the Valley. On Saturday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said thirteen terrorists have been killed in the union territory in nine encounters over the last nine days.
Source: India Today
