New Delhi: The Centre today sought to downplay the issue of presence of ISIS in Jammu and Kashmir saying it has no existence in the Valley. There is no physical infrastructure or manpower of the IS in the Valley. It does not exist in the Valley, a Home Ministry spokesperson said here.
The central government's assertion came after the militant group claimed responsibility for the killing of a policeman, Farooq Ahmad Yatoo, in Jammu-Kashmir on Sunday. Another official said Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba could be behind the attack on the policeman, and Esha Fazali, a local militant who first joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and later shifted his allegiance to LeT, has emerged as the prime suspect.
However, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid has said in Srinagar that it was now clear that ISIS had carried out the attack and it is "indeed a worrying sign". In November 2017, there were reports that IS was involved in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar where a militant, identified as Mugees, was killed and a sub-inspector, Imran Tak, lost his life. Amaq, which is the official news agency of ISIS, had claimed responsibility for that attack.