J&K encounter: Islamic State mouthpiece claims responsibility; police probe claim

IGP Muneer Khan told The Indian Express over the phone, “These are claims which need to be verified. We are investigating the matter. This is also the third outfit in the valley which has claimed the responsibility. It will be too early to comment on these claims.”

Besides ISIS, Tehreek-ul-Mujhadeen (TuM) had also claimed responsibility for the Zakura attack and Mugees Ahmad Mir as one of its own. Zakir Musa, who was earlier associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and later drifted to set up Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind on the lines of ISIS, too made similar claims about Mir.

According to police, Mir was travelling in a car that was intercepted by the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir police near Zakura. The militants opened fire at the cops, triggering an encounter in which sub-inspector Imran Ahmad Tak was killed and an SPO injured.

Sources said Mir was earlier associated with TuM but had recently switched sides to Zakir Musa led Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind. Mugees’s body was wrapped in black ISIS flag.

This is, however, not the first time that a militant’s body wrapped in ISIS flags have been noticed in the Valley. But the mouthpiece of ISIS, Amaq, for the first time claimed that the terror group was behind the attack, said officials.