IS Says It Killed J&K Cop, Police Confirm Terror Group’s Presence

This is the second attack in Jammu and Kashmir where the Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the murder of a police personnel in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, 25 February. Constable Farooq Ahmad was on duty guarding the residence of separatist leader Fazal Haq Qureshi in Soura area of Srinagar when he was killed.

The Al Amaq news agency, the official channel of the IS, claimed on Monday, 26 February, that the group carried out the attack on the police constable and fled with his rifle.

Following the murder, the state police admitted the presence of the Islamic State in Kashmir, NDTV reported. The presence was not "substantial,” but it was "indeed a worrying sign because the ISIS foothold in Kashmir will have a different meaning,” Jammu and Kashmir Police chief SP Vaid told the news channel.

Vaid told NDTV that it was clear the Islamic State did carry out the attack, and it was wrong for the police to deny the terror group’s presence in the Valley.

This is the second attack in Jammu and Kashmir in the last three months that the IS have claimed responsibility for. The Al Amaq news agency had earlier reported that the murder of a police personnel in Srinagar in November last year was their doing.

Sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Police told The Indian Express that a recent militant recruit, Esa Fazili, was likely to be behind the attack. “There were apprehensions that Fazili may have links with the Islamic State,” a police officer told the English daily.

The report added that Fazili was an engineering student at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah (BGSB) University in Rajouri before he joined the militant group in August last year. Initially, he joined the Zakir Musa-led al-Qaeda affiliate in Kashmir, but due to differences, he deflected towards the Islamic State.

(With inputs from PTI, Indian Express and NDTV)

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