Srinagar, April 26 (KNO) : The killing of Mufti Yasir in the Laam encounter in Tral woods has left a major challenge for the security agencies in Kashmir, nevertheless his killing is considered as a big success for the forces as he being one of the close confidants of Jaish-e-Muhammad founder Moulana Masood Azhar.
A top police officer disclosed to Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Yasir, who was one among the four militants killed in Laam forests in Tral on Wednesday, has been a close aide of Moulana Azhar after the killing of latter’s nephew Talha Rashid in Hajin encounter last year. “It’s a big success for us that one of the slain militants in Tral gunfight was Mufti Yasir.
After analysing the photographs, he seems to be having been a personal bodyguard of the Moulana Azhar and had been sent to Kashmir on a mission,” the officer revealed. Director General of Police S P Vaid in his tweet today, confirmed that one of the slain militants was Mufti Yasir. Another one was also a foreigner whose identity is being ascertained and two others were locals.
Mufti Yasir along with his associate, were buried at Gantumulla, Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Mufti Yasir’s gun wielding picture on the right side of Moulana Azhar has gone viral on the all social sites especially Facebook. The police seem have taken a note of the photograph where Mufti Yasir is wearing a skull cap and brandishing an assault AK-47 riffle. A police source revealed that Mufti Yasir, seems to have been pushed into this side on March 20 along with a Jaish group of at least six to eight militants.
“Our reports suggest he had managed to sneak in from Kupwara sector during early morning hours. He remained in the woods for some time and later managed to reach south Kashmir with the help of three local militants, one from Sopore and another from Hajin,” the source said. What remains a challenge is that if the group that infiltrated on March 20 from Kupwara was led by Mufti Yasir, where have the rest of the militants gone. “We are looking into it that whether the rest of Jaish group is hiding in north or they too have moved towards South,” he said. “It’s a matter of time and we will get to know about the positions of the group.
” It was last year that the militant commander Noor Muhammad Trali, who according to the police was a main recruiter, was killed. Police had termed Trali a great motivator, who had lured at least 20 local boys into Jaish fold. Interestingly, Jaish is considered one of the “dreaded militant outfits” known for its capability of sneaking into the force’s installations with an aim of inflicting major causality. A few attacks carried out by the Jaish militants in the recent past is fidayeen of District Police Lines at Lethpora, Pulwama and on the BSF camp near Srinagar international airport.