Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 21: The Al-Badr, one of the most dreaded militant groups whose cadres fought Afghan war against Soviet troops alongside Gulabadeen Hikmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami, are making attempts to infiltrate into Kashmir.
Highly placed sources said that for the past one month Al Badar militants are conducting reconnaissance along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) to infiltrate through North Kashmir’s Uri and Kupwara sectors.
Sources said that their cadres are already on launch pads across the LoC in PoK and are planning to infiltrate before the onset of winter in Kashmir. “The tight vigil by the Army along the LoC is preventing them from infiltrating into the Valley. Its cadres are battle hardened and are waiting for opportunity to sneak in. However, so far they have not made any attempt to infiltrate”, sources added.
Al-Badr, whose cadres were mostly Pakistanis, was operating in Kashmir in late 1990s but by 2008 its cadres depleted and the outfit is defunct in the State for past several years.
The outfit is presently led by Bakht Zameen Khan. The group participated in the fighting in Afghanistan in 1990 as part of Gulabadeen Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami alongside other anti-Soviet Afghan Mujahideen groups.
In 2002, Zameen declared jihad against the American forces in Afghanistan post 9/11 attacks. Al-Badr employs suicide squads as a tactic, the other being LeT. Sources said that if they succeed in their attempts it will be the dreaded militant outfit along with LeT whose cadres are mostly Pakistanis.
Army believed that large numbers of militants are waiting across the LoC in PoK for infiltration. A senior Army commander in North Kashmir said that there are around 250-300 militants waiting on 40 launch pads to infiltrate into Kashmir. He, however, said that tight vigil along the LoC is preventing them from infiltrating.
Infiltration attempts by militants have increased over the past three months and more than 20 militants were killed during operations along the LoC this year but most of these militants belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT.
Last year Al-Badr conducted a two day recruitment rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and sought resources and cadres for its Jammu and Kashmir chapter at a time when NATO forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan next year.
Zameen Khan in his address said that they are facing shortage of resources but vowed to launch attacks in Kashmir once they get resources. After it was banned by State Department of the United States of America in 2005 for its Al-Qaeda links, the outfit faced shortage of resources.
Sources said since the outfit was banned by US, it may operate under a different name in Jammu and Kashmir once its cadres manage to infiltrate into Kashmir.
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