In what is being described as a major victory for Indian counter-insurgency efforts, Riyaz Naikoo, the leader of terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in a gun battle with Indian troops on Wednesday. The operation, launched by hundreds of Indian soldiers who acted after receiving information about Naikoo’s movements, led to the death of 4 terrorists.
A phone intercept hinted at a rift between Hizbul and the recently formed The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the Kashmir Valley. A terrorist who is suspected to be one of the rebel fighters accompanying Naikoo, said “We are stuck in Beighpore, Pulwama… I am injured but Riyaz Bhai is fighting. This is the doing of our own people. This new tanzeem (TRF), they are the ones behind this. Stay away from them, they will ruin our Kashmir”. The TRF is allegedly responsible for the recent attack in Handwara, which led to the death of five security forces.
Naikoo joined Hizbul in 2012 after Kashmir witnessed large-scale protests following the death of a civilian during the clash with security forces. In 2017, Hizbul faced an existential crisis following commander Zakir Musa’s decision to split from the group to create Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, the Indian wing of al-Qaeda. Musa decision to pursue a “global caliphate”, as opposed to Hizbul’s pro-Pakistan stance, caused fear of disruption in the outfit. As a senior member, Naikoo became responsible for keeping the organisation together and preventing members from breaking away. Soon after, he was given the reins over Hizbul operations in Kashmir.
Between 2012 and 2017, Naikoo launched a number of violent attacks. He was responsible for the abduction of police personnel and their relatives after the family members of Hizbul’s commander, Hammad Khan, were taken into custody. He also headed a heightened recruitment drive, particularly of young locals. For instance, police data indicates that the group recruited 50 personnel from 2011-2013, but 126 in 2017 alone, the year Naikoo took over as the leader. Officers say that Naikoo brought a “certain ruthlessness” to the outfit, making it stronger and more dangerous than LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
As India struggles with the coronavirus outbreak, the operations in Kashmir have only intensified, as evidenced by earlier events in Handwara. While the death of Riyaz Naikoo may lead to a reduction in Hizbul Mujahideen’s recruitment, his death led to protests across Kashmir, to which Indian authorities responded with internet shutdowns. While this may be a victory for the Indian authorities, the death of Riyaz Naikoo is likely to cause further unrest in the region.
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