Unidentified gunmen shot dead 'Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind' militant in Srinagar

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a militant belonging to the 'Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind' - an affiliate of al-Qaeda in the valley led by Zakir Musa - here on Saturday, police said.

The gunmen fired upon a youth in the Hazratbal area of the city here, resulting in his on the spot death, a police official said.

He said the youth has been identified as Asif Nazir Dar, a resident of the Panzgam area of Awantipora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Dar was an active militant associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), but later defected to Musa-led Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind, the official said.

He said a pistol and two magazines were recovered from the slain militant.

An Al-Qaeda affiliated Global Islamic Media Front had on July 27, 2017, announced Musa as the head of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa is a former commander of the HM.