In a big win for security forces, Zakir Musa's successor Hamid Lelhari gets killed in Awantipora encounter

Srinagar, Octoebr 23: Running the circles around India's security, Zakir Musa's successor and chief of Kashmir's al-Qaeda unit, Hamid Lelhari, was gunned down by the Indian security forces on Tuesday. Al-Qaeda affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind had named Hameed Lelhari as its new commander after Zakir Musa's death in May, 2019.

 

Killing two of his associates along, the encounter that began in the outskirts of Awantipore as the security forces launched a cordon and search operation following inputs, bashed the presence of three terrorists in total.

 

 

According to the Kashmir Zone Police, arms and ammunition were recovered from the site. Hamid Lelhari, native of Pulwama was announced AGH chief two weeks after Zakir Musa was gunned down by security forces.

 

"In Tral, 3 local militants associated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind were killed yesterday. Before that, in an operation in Anantnag, 3 militants were neutralised", said Jammua and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh. Zakir Musa was al-Qaeda's head in Kashmir since July 27, 2017. He was earlier heading Hizbul Mujahideen, after the killing of Burhan Wani in 2016.

 

Musa was declared a proclaimed offender by a special court of the National Investigation Agency in Punjab's Mohali earlier this month in connection with serial blasts in Jalandhar in September last year. Security forces, however, killed AGH chief Zakir Musa in an encounter in a village in South Kashmir's Tral on May 23.