The past 48 hours have brought back memories of Srinagar’s dark days of terrorism. A Lashkar commander was killed in Khanyar, Downtown, after a day-long gunfight on Saturday. Just 24 hours later, over 10 civilians were injured when a grenade was thrown into the Sunday market near the tourist reception center.
J&K Police believe the grenade attack was a retaliatory act following the events in Khanyar. “Not only in Khanyar, but also in Anantnag, we achieved success based on specific intelligence. In the past, such killings of terrorists would lead to calls for strikes, but this time, the terror network’s attempts to provoke unrest failed. The grenade attack appears to be a desperate move to incite chaos,” a police officer stated.
TRF Under Suspicion
The nature of the grenade incident points to The Resistance Front (TRF) as the main suspect. While the TRF claims to be an indigenous group, investigators believe it is a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Their operatives, referred to as ‘hybrid’ terrorists, typically use small arms to target non-local migrant workers or throw grenades. “At first glance, it appears that the grenade missed its intended target and landed in the civilian area of the Sunday market. This incident seems to be the work of these so-called hybrid terrorists,” an agency official stated.
The TRF has claimed responsibility for the Ganderbal tunnel attack, in which seven people were killed.
Lashkar Commander Killed on Saturday
Usman Lashkari, also known as Chota Walid and believed to be a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was killed in an encounter in Khanyar, downtown Srinagar, on Saturday. This marks the first encounter in J&K’s capital in two years; the last occurred on September 15, 2022, when two terrorists were killed in Nowgam.
According to authorities, Usman is a foreign terrorist from Pakistan who had been active in Srinagar for several months. IGP Kashmir VK Birdhi stated that Usman was involved in the murder of Inspector Masroor Wani, who was shot while playing cricket in the Eidgah area of Srinagar on October 29 of last year and later succumbed to his injuries in December.
Usman had sought refuge in the home of a former terrorist’s brother, which a senior security official noted belonged to the first fidayeen of Kashmir.
The presence of a foreign terrorist in Srinagar and the use of a grenade are viewed as efforts to reinvigorate over-ground workers and the broader terror ecosystem.
Officials report that, based on ground intelligence, attempts to provoke a law and order crisis have thus far been unsuccessful.
“In the past, anti-terror operations were often met with stone pelting, hindering forces from establishing a cordon and disrupting daily life. While there are efforts to incite unrest this time, the lack of local support has undermined these plans,” the official stated.
