Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind ( ur, ) is an

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

-affiliated Islamist

militant group The Militant Group was an early British Trotskyist group, formed in 1935 by Denzil Dean Harber, former leader of the entrist Marxist Group in the ILP, as a separate entrist group inside the Labour Party. Initially known as the Bolshevik-Lenini ...

active in Kashmir. The group's stated objective is to impose

Sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administere ...

and

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

against

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Background

Zakir Rashid Bhat Zakir Rashid Bhat (also known as Zakir Musa) was an Sunni Islam, Sunni Pan-Islamism, Pan-Islamist, Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmiri-separatist militant who became the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the killing of Burhan Wani and ...

was an Islamist Kashmiri militant popularly known as Zakir Musa. He was a former field operational commander of Hizbul Mujahedeen. In May 2017, Musa criticized the

Hurriyat All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations formed on 9 March 1993, as a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri separatism in the Kashmir conflict. Mehmood Ahmed Sagh ...

leaders for calling the Kashmir conflict a political objective rather than a religious one to establish Islamic rule. He warned them not to become a "thorn" in the imposition of Sharia in Kashmir, but after a few hours,

Hizbul Mujahideen Hizbul Mujahideen, also spelled Hizb-ul-Mujahideen ( ar, حزب المجاھدین, ), is an Islamism, Islamist militant organization operating in the Kashmir region. Its goal is to separate Kashmir Valley, Kashmir from India and merge it with ...

immediately disassociated itself from Zakir Musa's statement and Zakir Musa in response quit the organization after releasing statements to support his argument that the struggle in Kashmir was not for political purposes. Following Musa's split, Pro-Zakir Musa Kashmiri militants formed a militant faction named Zakir Musa Army 313 to openly support Musa and his "Islamic Rule" ideology. In July 2017 the faction joined

as Musa was impressed by Al-Qaeda's religious objective of imposing

in Kashmir and he formed a new

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

named Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. In the same month, the

Global Islamic Media Front The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) is an Islamist propaganda organization that is associated with the terrorist group, al-Qaeda, and other jihadist groups. The GIMF is known by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI) as an "underground m ...

-affiliated Al Hurr media channel of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind claimed that Zakir Musa had been named the head of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a newly created

. After the killing of militant commander Abu Dujana and Arif Lelhari, a statement purported to be from Musa was released. The statement claimed that Abu Dujana and Arif Lelhari left

Lashkar-e-Taiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT; ur, ; literally ''Army of the Good'', translated as ''Army of the Righteous'', or ''Army of the Pure'' and alternatively spelled as ''Lashkar-e-Tayyiba'', ''Lashkar-e-Toiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Taiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Tayyeba'') ...

, had joined

and helped establish a new

in Kashmir. Officials stated that the voice in the video matched those of the earlier audio clips by Musa, though the state's DGP S.P. Vaid stated there was no way of authenticating the clips even though there were reports that Dujana and Musa were close at the time. Meanwhile, an audio clip circulated on media that claimed to be the last message from Dujana and Arif during their encounter. Two voices claim

allegiance An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed, or freely committed, by the people, subjects or citizens to their state or sovereign. Etymology From Middle English ''ligeaunce'' (see medieval Latin ''ligeantia'', "a liegance"). The ''al ...

; however, no gunfire is heard and the authenticity of the clip was not proven. Zakir Musa was one of the most wanted militants in

after

Burhan Wani Burhan Wani (19 September 1994 – 8 July 2016) was a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist militant organization and insurgent group of the Kashmir conflict. He had become a popular figure amongst the local Kashmiri populace, having do ...

with a bounty of 1 million Indian rupees on his head announced by the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. In November 2017 the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind formed an alliance with

. After the meeting of

Riyaz Naikoo Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo (also known as Mohammad bin Qasim or Zubair ul Islam, April 19856 May 2020) was one of the top ten most wanted militant commander of Jammu and Kashmir. He was a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist Pro-Pakistan mili ...

with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, Zakir Musa released an audio tape after a few days of meetings, where he called all Kashmiri Mujahideen groups to unite for

Jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

against enemies of Islam, with the goal to achieve freedom from

and enforce a

-based Islamic revolution in the region. He also warned 'Don't forget Kashmir if Pakistan withdraws its support to Kashmir, the insurgency would be also fought inside Pakistan'. Afterwards,

Syed Salahuddin Mohammad Yusuf Shah, commonly known as Syed Salahuddin, is the head of Hizbul Mujahideen, a separatist organization operating in Kashmir. He also heads the United Jihad Council, a Pakistan-based conglomeration of jihadist militant groups spons ...

, the chief of

, released a statement threatening the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

: 'We are fighting for Kashmiri Muslims in Kashmir and if Pakistan army withdraws its support, the war would be fought inside Pakistan too'.

Objective

In 2017

-affiliated

released a video announcing Al Hurr as the channel of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. It also claimed that the group's objective was to impose Sharia law upon Kashmir, also declaring

against

in the process.

Etymology

The group derives its name from the Islamic prophecy of

Ghazwa-e-Hind Indian reunification refers to the potential reunification of India (the Republic of India) with Pakistan and Bangladesh, which were partitioned from British India in 1947. Background In 1947, British India was partitioned into the modern D ...

, the ultimate conquest of India. "Ansar" means supporters.

Slogans

Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind claims to have two slogans: the first being "Kashmir Banega Darul Islam" (Kashmir will become

Islamic state An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

) and the second being "Sharyiat ya shahadat" ( Sharia or

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

dom).

Allegiance to Al-Qaeda

In July 2017, the

Affiliated Al Hurr media Channel of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind claimed that

Zakir Musa Zakir Rashid Bhat (also known as Zakir Musa) was an Sunni Pan-Islamist, Kashmiri-separatist militant who became the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the killing of Burhan Wani and Sabzar Bhat, who were the former commanders of the same o ...

had been named the head of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind under the

Activities, affiliation, and foreign fighters

Activities and affiliation

On 7 December 2017, the group released a statement that condemned

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Donald Trump's Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

declaration of moving the United States embassy in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. On 25 December 2017, in a video of a Kashmiri militant declaring allegiance to the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

and declaring a new ISIL Province in Kashmir, the fighter called on Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind to ally with or give allegiance to ISIL and wage Jihad in Kashmir against the Indian government but the group declined. In February 2018, the group released a video of Zakir Musa calling on Indian Muslims to attack

Indian army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

patrols and checkpoints as well as companies interested in investing in India. In April 2018, the group published material that encouraged

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

across India and Kashmir to carry out

lone wolf attacks A lone wolf attack, or lone actor attack, is a particular kind of mass murder, committed in a public setting by an individual who plans and commits the act on their own. In the United States, such attacks are usually committed with firearms. In ...

. On 21 November 2019, the group released an audio tape condemning the Indian court ruling on the

Babri Masjid Babri Masjid ( IAST: Bābarī Masjid; meaning ''Mosque of Babur'') was a mosque in Ayodhya, India, at a site believed by many Hindus to be the birthplace of Hindu deity Rama. It has been a focus of dispute between the Hindu and Muslim commun ...

. The group urged Muslims to retaliate against the decision. On 6 January 2020, the group released a video audio tape message to

of Kashmir and

by Talha Abdul Rahman the Spokesperson of group condemning the

2020 Delhi riots The 2020 Delhi riots, or North East Delhi riots, were multiple waves of bloodshed, property destruction, and rioting in North East Delhi, beginning on 23 February 2020 and caused chiefly by Hindu mobs attacking Muslims. Of the 53 people kille ...

Hindu nationalists Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" or the correct term ''Hindū rāṣṭ ...

against the

Indian Muslims Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, approximately 172.2 million people identifying as adherents of Islam in 2011 Census. India is also the country with the second or third largest number of Musli ...

Dehli Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. The group urged Muslims to United against

Hindutva Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), t ...

ideology and he called

to join the

against the enemies of Islam. On 18 January 2022, the group claimed responsibility for the attempted bomb attack in

Ghazipur Ghazipur is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ghazipur city is the administrative headquarters of the Ghazipur district, one of the four districts that form the Varanasi division of Uttar Pradesh. The city of Ghazipur also constitute ...

the group also claimed that the our targets are pro-

in revenge for the

against the

. On 11 December 2022, the group claimed responsibility of russian-made

RPG RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...

attack in

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

on Tarn Taran Police station. The group said that they had fired a rocket from the Amritsar-Bathinda Highway. Earlier on Saturday,

Sikhs for Justice Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is a US-based secessionist group that supports the secession of Punjab from India as Khalistan. Founded and primarily headed by lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in 2009. The organization was created in response to the murd ...

(SFJ), a Khalistani

Insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregu ...

militant organisation, claimed responsibility for the attack. The indian authorities has named this attack as Pakistani agenda for preparation of more attacks on

Punjab, India Punjab (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Himachal ...

Neighbouring nation wants to bleed India with thousand cuts, says Punjab DGP.

Foreign fighters

The Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind also have large number of foreign fighters In Kashmir from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

were called to join the holy war against the

Operations against Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind

On 21 December 2018, the group's deputy leader Soliha Mohammad Akhoon, also known as Rehaan Khan, was killed in an encounter with 42

Rashtriya Rifles The Rashtriya Rifles (RR; ) is a counter-insurgency force in India, formed in 1990, to specifically serve in the Jammu and Kashmir region. They also maintain public order by drawing powers from the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special P ...

and

CRPF The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role lie ...

along with five other militants. On 24 May 2019, Indian security forces killed

in an encounter in Tral region of Jammu and Kashmir. Security forces had to blast a chemist's house where Musa was hiding. The owner was sent in for negotiation to surrender, but Musa declined. At Zakir Musa's funeral, thousands of people attended Zakir Musa's funeral, and there were protests by supporters or people who mourned the death of the militant. On 22 October 2019, Indian security forces killed Hameed Lehari in an encounter in Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir. He was the second leader of the organisation. Jammu and Kashmir's

Director General of Police Director general of police (DGP) is a rank in the Indian Police Service, held by the highest ranking police officer in a State or a Union Territory of India, typically heading the state or the UT police force. The DGP is appointed by the cabin ...

, Dilbag Singh, said that the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind has been "wiped out of Kashmir" on 23 October 2019. On 22 April 2020, four militants of the group were killed in

Shopian district Shopian district (), known as Shupyan () in Kashmiri, is a hill district with its administrative division in Shopian town, located in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, since it is situated on the historical road commonly known a ...

's Melhora village during an encounter with Indian Army's 55

and the

. Two over-ground workers of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind had been captured in

Pulwama district The Pulwama district is located to the south of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. Its district headquarters are situated in the city of Pulwama. It is located in the central part of the Kashmir Valley. Administration In 1979 Anantna ...

on 22 May. On 29 April 2020, Group's deputy chief Burhan Koka was killed in an encounter in Shopian's Melhora area along with 2 other associates. On 9 April 2021, Jammu and Kashmir's

, Dilbag Singh, said that the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind has been "wiped out of Kashmir" for a second time, after 7 militants including its chief were killed in an encounter. On 11 July 2021, Prashant Kumar, ADG Law and Order, UP, said, “ATS UP has uncovered a big militant module. The team has arrested two militant linked with al-Qaeda's Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.” On 14 June 2022,

Jammu and Kashmir Police The Jammu and Kashmir Police or JKP is the law enforcement agency of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory). JKP was established in 1873 and has primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Jammu and Kashmir in India. His ...

said Abdullah Abbas Ghazi Bhat, also known as Abdullah Ghazi, was a main militant of Islamist

Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

linked group. Police said he was reportedly had been killed with two Hizbul militants by Indian security forces during a search operation on 11 June.He had been fighting alongside Hizbul Mujahideen militants in

Kulgam Kulgam (), known as Kolgom () in Kashmiri, is a town, an administrative division and capital of the Kulgam district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of from the summer state capital of Jammu and ...

he was killed in a gunfight in the town of

the two Indian security forces also killed and five injured during the clash. The fighting was so intense that it partially security forces destroyed his home. On 14 June a few days after his death, four Indian army soldiers were killed and the main leading member of search operation Ashkan Kumar a Jammu and Kashmir Police senior officer also murdered outside his home in what was believed to have been a reprisal for Abdullah's death.

References

{{reflist Jihadist groups in Jammu and Kashmir Kashmir separatist movement Organisations designated as terrorist by India