‘Group has no footprints in Kashmir’

An online terror tracker site, SITE Intel Group, has said that Amaq , an online magazine backed by the Islamic State, has taken responsibility for the Zakura attack in Srinagar on Friday, which left one local militant, Mugees Mir, and a sub-inspector dead.

However, the police said the group had “no footprints in Kashmir”. “It’s a subject of investigation. We are looking into the claim made,” Director-General of Police, J&K, S.P. Vaid said. The terror outfit mainly operates in Syria and Iraq.

The police said Mir was affiliated to the militant faction headed by Zakir Musa. This is the first casualty inflicted on the group of Musa, who claims to head an Al-Qaeda chapter, Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, in Kashmir. Musa split from the Hizbul Mujahideen earlier this year. Militant Tauseef Ahmad was taken captive from the operation site in Zakura.

A Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen spokesman said the slain militant belonged to his group and was “a district commander”. He said Mir was “in no way affiliated to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and al-Qaeda links are being claimed to malign the Kashmir struggle”.

However, Mir’s funeral saw black flags, similar to that of the IS on Saturday.

The body was wrapped in the black flag as his supporters raised pro-Islam and pro-freedom slogans.

“We are investigating the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen claims too. There is no clarity as of now,” Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan said.