Terror outfits, Hizbul Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), are now adopting a new strategy for motivating Kashmiri youth and drawing them into militancy. The two terror outfits are said to have joined hands in influencing young men in the Valley by showing them specially-made videos of former Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden which are being described as “highly provocative” by top intelligence sources.
This startling revelation has been made by Wasim Akram Malik, the key conspirator of the Delhi high court blast, which rocked the capital in September 2011. Malik, a medical student, studying at a medical college near Dhaka, was recently chargesheetd by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the case.
The NIA has shared Malik’s disclosure with Central intelligence agencies as well. According to highly-placed intelligence sources, Malik during his custodial interrogation revealed that a large number of young men in the Valley were not only influenced by Osama but also sympathetic to his killing.
Malik further disclosed that underground workers of the Hizbul Mujahideen and HuJI in the Valley have made videos in which Osama is asking young men to take up jihad in Kashmir as well.
“In one of the speeches, Osama is even seen as saying that jihad was the only option to improve the quality of life of people in the Kashmir Valley. The Kashmiri youth are also shown videos of top Taliban commander Mullah Omar and close associate of Osama, Al Zawahiri,” an investigating official said.
Intelligence sources said the coming together of Hizbul and HuJI is a new alignment as in the past the two terror outfits were not known to be working together. In fact, prior to Malik’s disclosure, intelligence agencies had no direct evidence of HuJI operating in the Kashmir Valley.
The NIA has already stated in its chargesheet that Malik too himself was largely influence by Osama.
“Interestingly, Malik disclosed that he saw himself as a future Zawahiri who too happens to be a doctor. Malik was do influenced by Zawahiri that this was one of the reasons for becoming a doctor and helping terror groups,’’a senior official remarked.