Attack on Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in Pak rattles terrorists in J&K

The attack on Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in Islamabad has caused confusion among terrorists active in the Kashmir Valley.

Notably,  Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin was grievously injured after an attack on him by unknown assailants in Islamabad on May 25.

Sources state that Pakistan's spy agency ISI might have orchestrated the attack on him due to widening conflict between the Hizbul chief and Pakistani spy agency.

The motive behind the attack was not to killl him but to send out a strong message. 

Salahuddin was taken to a safer place, and the Pakistani army took control of the attack site. Further, the army instructed the Pakistani mainstream news channels to not air the news.

Reportedly, the rift between the Salahuddin and the ISI began to emerge after Hizbul cadres were not provided adequate training, weapons, and ammunition by the latter.   

However, the sources also speculate that ISI might have planned to attack Salahuddin, after he had openly criticized the ISI during an interaction with the Hizbul cadres in PoK.

For the last few months, Salauddin, who also heads the United Jihad Council (UJC), a Pakistan-based conglomeration of various terror groups sponsored by ISI, was unhappy with the ISI over the lack of support to his group. 

Salahuddin claimed responsibility for an encounter between terrorists and security forces in Handwara this month.

On May 3, the operation in Handwara in Kupwara district claimed lives of Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh, and Lance Naik Dinesh, all from the Brigade of the Guards regiment, and at present part of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles and deployed to counter terrorism in the hinterland. A Jammu and Kashmir Police Sub-Inspector, Sageer Ahmad Pathan alias Qazi, was also martyred.