(Image source from: Ndtv.com)
In another incident involving unknown shooters targeting militants, a high-ranking operational leader of the outlawed Al-Badr group was killed in Muzaffarabad, located in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Arjamand Gulzar, also known as Burhan Hamza, was shot by attackers whose identities remain unknown. He was wanted in India for leading a complex terror network in Jammu and Kashmir. Since the beginning of 2023, more than 50 high-profile leaders from terror groups such as LeT, JeM, and Hizbul Mujahideen have been killed by shooters in Pakistan and PoK. Security forces confirmed that Hamza was actively involved in anti-India terror activities and played a significant role in radicalizing young people in South Kashmir. Arjmand Gulzar hailed from Ratnipora in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. He went to Pakistan about seven years ago and later became a member of Al-Badr. He progressed to the position of operational commander and managed a network for recruitment, funding, and arms supply in Kashmir from across the border.
In 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs labeled him a terrorist. He was listed as 'Most Wanted' by Indian security forces for promoting terrorism in Pulwama and South Kashmir. Pulwama has been a critical area for terrorist activities for a long time. Similar to the deceased terrorist Burhan Wani, Arjmand Gulzar was noted for a digital radicalization strategy that utilized social media and local connections to draw youth into terrorism. Officials indicated that his network operated in Pulwama, Shopian, and Awantipora. He worked in collaboration with local helpers from Pakistan to deliver weapons, funds, and directives to India. His name appeared in various incidents involving explosives, grenade attacks, and the recruitment of terrorists. The death of Arjmand Gulzar signifies another blow to terrorist groups attempting to revive violence in the Valley from their bases in PoK, according to security sources.
In April, Sheikh Yousuf Afridi, a leader of the terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was killed by unknown gunmen in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. The attackers fired numerous shots at Afridi, who was a close associate of LeT leader Hafiz Saeed. In March, an unidentified shooter attempted to target Amir Hamza, a wanted terrorist and founding member of LeT, in Lahore outside a television station, but he managed to escape.
