Kashmir Police Detain 3,500 Suspected Terror Associates After Anantnag Attack

Srinagar–Police have detained about 3,500 suspected overground workers across Kashmir as part of a sweeping crackdown launched after a local police officer was killed in a terrorist attack in Anantnag, officials said Thursday.

The detentions were carried out during the past 24 hours following the killing of Jammu and Kashmir Police Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Quraishi. Security forces are conducting searches and raids at multiple locations across the Kashmir Valley in an effort to identify and dismantle networks that provide logistical and other support to terrorist groups.

Authorities also demolished two houses in Anantnag district that officials said belonged to active members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization. The action came a day after Quraishi was killed in Anantnag town.

Quraishi, a member of the Armed Police’s 3rd Battalion, was assigned to security duty for the annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage when the attack took place. He was from Beerwah in Budgam district.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the killing. Sinha said those responsible for the attack would be identified and brought to justice.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the district police lines in Anantnag in Quraishi’s honor. Hundreds of people later attended his funeral in his hometown, while residents and officials continued to visit the family to offer condolences.

The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack. Indian authorities describe the group as an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations.

The Resistance Front emerged after the Indian government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in 2019. Authorities say the organization draws members from Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen and uses nonreligious terminology and imagery to portray itself as a local secular movement.

The group has been blamed for several targeted killings, including attacks on members of religious minority communities and local residents. Indian security agencies have also alleged that parts of its social media network are operated from Pakistan. (Source: IANS)