The Islamic State’s (IS) ‘Amaq News Agency reported the first attack by a group in the Kashmir Valley, with the killing of a police officer and the wounding of another in the city of Srinagar.
Within no time, the news started doing rounds in the Indian media. News channel NDTV wrote that the central government ‘has taken note’. India Today too said that the ISIS ‘claimed Zakura attack’.
However, the poster mentions killing soldiers from Al-Bakistania, Arabic for Pakistan, but not claiming anything.
It is unclear as of now whether the ISIS “claiming” attacks in Kashmir has capabilities of planing and successfully launching attacks, but is yet unaware of the Police that operates in Kashmir.
Interestingly, Zakura lies in the Indian Administered Kashmir’s Srinagar, where Indian Police operates, and not in Pakistan Administered Kashmir.
The attack was earlier owned by Tehreek ul Mujahideen, a local militant outfit with political ambitions.
The Indian army and the JK Police in a joint press conference at BB Cant earlier in the day denied all possibility of any ISIS presence in Kashmir, saying that “by throwing a black cloth on anyone doesn’t mean that he belongs to ISIS”.
It is important to note here that Amaq is a “news” wing of ISIS, and regularly carries news of attacks, which does not necessarily mean it is claimed by them, as mentioned by sections of the Indian Media.
The news piece also says that the ‘Al Bakistania’ policeman was killed by “terrorists”.
Days after an investigative BBC journalism project exposed the US and UK protecting ISIS in Syria, the entire episode raises more questions than it answers.
