Delhi Police arrests three suspected Islamic State militants from J&K

by Abbas Adil

In a major breakthrough, the Delhi Police Special Cell along with Srinagar police have arrested three suspected militants allegedly belonging to the Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), an outfit influenced by Islamic State (IS) ideology. The Delhi Police has recovered weapons and explosives from their possession. The trio was planning terror activities in Delhi.
In the operation, an underground hideout frequented by the IS inspired module members was also busted at the sprawling apple orchard in the Panchgam village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Awantipora by the Army. The hideout had logistical items such as gas cylinders, clothing, cooking items and ready to cook meals.
The three militants, identified as Tahir Ali Khan, Haris Mushtaq Khan and Asif Suhail Nadaf tried to lob a grenade at the police party on the special Naka setup in the heart of Srinagar near the Tourism Reception Center.
“We had been working on our inputs for quite some time. We were conducting a joint operation with the Kashmir police in Srinagar on Saturday when the terrorists threw a grenade at the policemen in Kothi Bagh’s Tourism Reception Center after which they were arrested,” Pramod Singh Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Special Cell.
During interrogations, lots of valuable information was extracted and raids were conducted at over a dozen hideouts of this module and about half-a-dozen overground workers were picked up for questioning. Kushwah added that the team then set a checkpoint and several suspects were held for checking. “We took the militants by surprise, however, one of them tried to hurl a grenade at the team, but was overpowered and apprehended immediately,” he added.
As per police sources, the arrested men were allegedly trying to procure weapons and help the organisation financially and were eyeing Delhi for the same. Delhi Police officials also disclosed that since the arrest of the three men, approximately a dozen men have been apprehended in the Valley by the J&K Police on suspicion that they were overground workers of the ISJK.
Sources also added that one of the arrested militants, Haris was pursuing his MA in international studies from Jamia Milia University, Delhi when he was brain-washed by ISJK handlers from Kashmir and Pakistan, who persuaded him to take up arms.
“Initially Haris was approached by ISJK members via Facebook, and soon they brain-washed him into joining the organisation and taking up arms for the agenda of the ISJK,” said an official.
The Delhi Police had previously on September 6, arrested two alleged militants of ISJK Parvaiz Rashid Lone and Jamsheed Zahoor Paul, both residents of Shopian, along with arms and ammunition. The ISJK had killed a sub-inspector last year, attacked a CRPF camp in July and killed a civilian on suspicion of being a police informer. In June, Dawood Sofi, the social media savvy head of the ISJK was killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district

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