Hizbul Mujahideen may be losing its grip on Kashmir

Bengaluru: Faced with the consecutive loss of its field-hardened militants in fierce gun battles with the Indian security forces and Jammu and Kashmir police, diminishing crowds at funerals of its militants since last year and a vertical split in the organisation, Hizb chief and specially designated global terrorist Syed Salahuddin on Monday said he had been betrayed by “traitors” and “Indian agents”.

Salahuddin who is on the backfoot in the Valley after losing his trusted aide Yaseen Yattoo alias Ghaznavi on Sunday, now faces a grim challenge from Zakir Rashid Bhatt alias Moosa who in May this year created a split in the terror outfit after he warned separatist leaders not to meddle in its aim to establish a Caliphate in J&K along the lines of ISIS. Hizb washed its hands off Moosa. Salahuddin asserted that Hizb was a local organisation and had nothing to do with ISIS, al-Qaeda or Taliban.

IGP (Kashmir) Muneer Khan said there was a synergy among police, Army, CRPF and security agencies backed by local support, which was signalling a change in the Valley.