An al-Qaida-affiliated propaganda channel has announced one of Kashmir’s most popular militant leaders as the head of a newly created cell in the disputed Himalayan territory. The new cell, named Ansar Ghawzat-Ul-Hind, is the deepest inroad al-Qaida has yet made in Kashmir. Though Islamist militants have previously operated in Kashmir, they have been regarded as proxies of Pakistan rather than grassroots jihadist movements. “I see that many people in Kashmir are engaged in a war of nationalism, which is forbidden in Islam,” Musa said. An alliance of separatist leaders has yet to respond to the announcement of the new group.

Source: The Guardian July 27, 2017 09:35 UTC