Hizbul Mujahideen chief claims responsibility for Handwara attack

New Delhi: In a recent video from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahideen chief and United States Department of State-designated 'Global terrorist' Syed Salahuddin was seen holding a condolence meet for Hizbul terrorist Riyaz Naikoo, who was killed by Indian security forces in Kashmir on May 5.

In the video, Syed Salahuddin can be seen lamenting the loss of his protege Riyaz Naikoo who was appointed as the Hizbul commander in Kashmir. In the two-minute-long video, Syed Salahuddin also claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Handwara that killed 5 Indian Army personnel and a Jammu and Kashmir policeman.

Syed Salahuddin's admission on camera is significant as it seemed to have contradicted the urgent pleas made by Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan of a "false flag operation" by India. A "false flag operation" as defined by military experts is usually a military operation carried out to appear as if it was executed by another party.

"I have been warning the world about India's continuing efforts to find a pretext for a false flag operation targeting Pakistan. Latest baseless allegations by India of "infiltration" across LoC are a continuation of this dangerous agenda," tweeted Imran Khan, a few days after the Handwara terror attack.

However, Syed Salahuddin's latest video admitting that Riyaz Naikoo was a Hizbul Commander and taking responsibility for the Handwara terror attack contradicts Imran Khan's claim that India had a role in any "false flag operation".

In the grainy video shot by one of the attendees of the Riyaz Naikoo condolence meet in PoK, Syed Salahuddin is seen admitting that even though Naikoo and his Hizbul associates had managed to inflict some damage to Indian forces, the advantage still lay with India. "The reality is that the enemy (India) still has the advantage, this is due to our weak policies," lamented Salahuddin.

Five Indian army personnel and one J&K policeman were killed by terrorists on May 3 in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara. On May 6, in an operation launched by Indian security forces in Jammu and  Kashmir's Awantipora, the Hizbul operations chief in the valley Riyaz Naikoo was shot dead.

ANI