Saifullah Mir aka Ghazi Haider, 26, is Hizbul’s new face of terror in Kashmir

Saifullah Mir aka Ghazi Haider, the 26-year-old who was radicalised to affix the Hizbul Mujahideen by Riyaz Naikoo six years in the past, would be the Hizbul Mujahideen’s new face of terror in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior safety official mentioned on Sunday night. The official mentioned Saifullah Mir’s appointment to guide the Hizbul in Jammu and Kashmir had been introduced by Saleem Hashmi, the spokesperson for the fear group headquartered in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad.

Hashmi additionally named Zafarul Islam because the so-called deputy chief operational commander in jammu and Kashmir and one other terrorist, Abu Tariq Bhai, as his chief army adviser.

Naikoo alongside together with his affiliate Adil Ahmed was killed in an operation carried out by Jammu and Kashmir police and troopers from the 21 Rashtriya Rifles. Naikoo was hiding in a secret bunker in his village.

Saifullah Mir, who’s also referred to as Musaib and ‘Doctor Saif’ as a result of he handled terrorists injured in police encounters, is a category 12 go out from Malangpora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district not like his mentor and predecessor Riyaz Naikoo who had accomplished his commencement. Saifullah Mir opted for vocational coaching after faculty. Once he was via with the bio medical course on the government-run ITI in Pulwama, Saifullah obtained himself a job at Srinagar’s National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology as a technician, in line with safety officers.

He held onto the job for 3 years earlier than Riyaz Naikoo lastly had his method and motivated him to affix terror.

Security officers mentioned Saifullah had been labeled as an ‘A category’ terrorist and had largely been energetic in south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian. He can also be mentioned to be fully acquainted with Riyaz Naikoo’s community and actions to lift funds by looting orchard house owners and get cuts from illicit cultivation of opium in south Kashmir.

Police officers in Kashmir mentioned other than terrorism, the Hizbul Mujahideen has additionally been concerned in narco commerce.

Investigators had lately busted a Hizbul Mujahideen terror funding module with the arrest of Hilal Ahmad Wagay, a resident of Nowgam, Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir. Wagay was caught with Rs 29 lakh money in Amritsar, by Punjab Police on April 25.

“This money was being transported to the Kashmir valley to be handed over to Riyaz Naikoo (now killed), Chief operational commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. This case has been taken over by NIA,” the National Investigation Agency had mentioned.