Before we go into Indian Army’s ‘Operation All-out’ strategy of eliminating the listed Terrorist leaders, it is necessary to refresh our memories of the past events.
Ever since Burhan Wani the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in July last year, a spate of violence rocked the valley in which nearly 100 lives were lost and 12,000 were left injured and several more blinded by pellets fired by the security forces.The attacks on India from across the Pakistan border was escalated. Despite the spurt in violence, India was determined to execute its task of eliminating Terrorist commandos in order to completely render the soil free of terrorism.
On 18th September 2016, Pakistan regulated terrorists attacked security forces in Uri, in which 19 soldiers were martyred. This terror attack in Uri was most dastardly and hurt the nation deeply. The Uri attack left a deep scar on Indian Army valour and endurance. The Indian Army never rested but was preparing for a historic strike on terrorist launchpads inside Pakistan territory in a humiliating manner.
Surgical Strike
Within just 10 days of Uri attack, the Indian Army avenged the killing of our Jawans in Uri, in the most celebrated manner. On 28th and 29th of September 2016, early hours 80 units of Indian Army conducted a dramatic surgical strike across the LoC inside Pakistan borders at the same Nowgam area and smashed several Terrorist launch pads and killed several terrorists.This heroic act stunned the Pakistan and the world leaders too and recognized the Indian Army’s might. But a barbarian always thinks of ‘barbarism’. When inhumanity is the hallmark of Pakistan’s rogue army, it can’t think of facing the mighty Indian Army in a right and ‘ethical’ way. Pakistan’s humiliation and frustration started showing up by then.
On October 28th 2016, the militants backed by Pakistan, mutilated the body of an Indian Army Soldier Mandeep Singh at Machil Sector. This barbaric act angered the entire nation. But the relentless Pakistan once again showed it’s barbarism in November 2016 by killing 3 Indian Jawan’s and mutilating their bodies in the most heinous way ever committed by them. By then India called it enough is enough.
Post-surgical strikes, Pakistan had violated ceasefire across LOC over one hundred times and India lost 17 Soldiers that includes both Army and BSF personnel.
When a leader falls, the Army behind him will panic and retreat
History teaches this lesson. Be it Mahabharat war or the imaginary wars in Bahubali or in the Western warfare, the courage of thousands of the Army rests on the commanding leader facing the enemy in front of them. If the leader falls, the Army behind him is rendered directionless, so it retreats.
Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat‘s relentless hard work in planning and executing the tasks has been yielding results. Our Army Chief’s success is commendable on the face of his detractors and usual enemies calumny campaign against the General that was forthcoming within India. Congress party’s cry that India lost Kashmir, and Global and Indian media’s attack of the Army Chief as a ‘big mouth’ failed to cow down the brave.
On 14th of September 2017, Amarnath terror attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Ismail, an A++ category terrorist, was gunned down by Indian Security forces.This news engulfed the nation in jubilation as the revenge was considered as ‘sweet’ as drops of nectar. Some videos showing the forces dragging his body along the road went viral on Social Media; Abu Ismail was killed by security forces, not while walking incidentally in the street. The reality was his accomplice’s cell phone signals were being tracked by the J&K Police and passed on to the forces. He was killed only after a fierce encounter lasting 30 minutes in Nowgam.
Immediately after the killing of LeT’s Kashmir Chief, Abu Ismail, Zeenat Ul Islam has been named as his successor. Zeenat Ul Islam is one of the 5 wanted terrorists by Indian Army.
Operation All-out
This is part of Army’s long drawn strategy that was devised in the month of June 2017 as the Army had then identified and enlisted 258 terrorists for elimination. The Army worked hard and mapped about 130 local and 128 foreign terrorists as potential terrorists for the grand elimination operation, codenamed as ‘Operation All-out’.
After killing the Amarnath pilgrims mastermind Abu Ismail, the top 5 Terrorists have been listed by the Army. The background of each of them would throw some light on their dreaded connections and roles played in the killings of civilians and our Armed Jawans.
The process of elimination began in a steadfast manner and hopefully advance till the task is accomplished by the Army, BSF and Local Police by end of 2017. So it looks we have a noisy Diwali ahead where the roaring of Indian Army Guns will meet with shrieks of Terrorists and wails of their apologists in other parts of the Country.
Son of a local Imam, the mastermind of February 2017’s Sophian attack. The Army strategists rightly listed Zeenat ul Islam as most wanted terrorist much before he replaced Abu Ismail a couple of day’s ago. 28 yrs old Zeenat was recruited in Lashkar in 2015. He was considered to be an expert in handling IED s. He was earlier in Al Badr, a banned Terror group of India and US as well. Al Badr was known for its suicide bombers and a couple of its members were arrested in Mysore, Karnataka in 2006. Later years Al Badr was considerably weakened due to consistent encounters of Indian Army in Kashmir.
After Abu Ismail’s killing, Zeenat ul Islam would be on the top of the 5 Terrorists for Indian Army as he was now elevated to head the LeT.
2) Zakir Musa ( Zakir Rashid Bhat, alias Musa)
Indian forces top target. He is one of the youngest among the peers. In July 2017, when Al Qaeda announced Zakir Musa as it;s Kashmir head, many were taken by surprise. It made Al Qaeda ‘s presence in Kashmir and attracted Global attention. Also Musa openly renounced Kashmir Hurriyat leaders and called for the beheading of Hurriyat Leaders. Here the Kashmir’s local struggle become truly Globalised when Musa started drifting from the Kashmir struggle and started advocating Sharia and Sahadat’. Due to this major shift, Indian Forces are eying Musa, as it is important to contain it for its International connections that have gone beyond Pakistan.
3) Riyaz Naikoo
The Hizbul Mujahideen commander, but his inclusion in the list is confusing for the fact that it’s he is the first terrorist leader who invited the Kashmiri Pandits back, and announced a grand rehabilitation programme. Hence his inclusion in the Army’s hit list is indeed confusing. It was Riyaz Naikoo, who is known as Tech savvy and as ‘Secular Terrorist’ This may be confusing for some but his strategy was very unusual and sans established terror rhetoric.
This is what he purportedly said in a video message.
“We will welcome them (Kashmiri Pandits) warmly and there is always a place for them in our hearts. They are part of our nation. We are their protectors and not their enemies.”
Riyaz Naikoo alias Zubair, carrying a bounty of Rs 12 lakhs on his head, had escaped several times from the traps laid by the security forces. So he has become a challenge for our forces. He was a close associate of Burhan Wani and involved in several killings including a Police officer. But it is believed that his elevation in Hizbul was seen as a strategy to counter Zakir Musa’s aggressive Caliphate call which both Terror outfits in Kashmir and Pakistan as well did not like. However, it would be a shrewd strategy for Indian Army to capture him ‘alive’, despite his inhuman killings record and get many things done from him utilising his secular ideals for an everlasting peace in the Valley.
A pertinent thing to recollect is that Burhan Wani’s another close aide Tariq Pandit’s surrender to Army is yielding fruits in stepping further. So, Riyaz s surrender or capture too would be of immense help from political angles as well.
4 ) Salim Paddar
Like Naikoo, he too was Burhan Wani ‘s one of the close associate. Out of the 10 core members of Burhan Wani, 8 terrorists have been eliminated by the Army as part of its hunt for Wani’s gangs. Only two remaining, Salim Paddar and Tariq Pandit. Tariq Pandit was captured alive, and hence now Army would be after Salim Paddar. But for Naikoo, Salim Paddar would have taken the reins of HM. Paddar is a school dropout, yet Wani considered him a clever strategist and hence took him as a close aide of him.
5) Khalid
He came to surface in October 2016. A lesser-known terrorist, but Army confirmed the fact that he was leading a JeM module in Baramullah and was responsible for last years attack on an Army convoy in which 8 Jawans were martyred. Local intelligence suspect him to be of Abu Hamas. Hence he would be a prize catch if Army captures him alive or dead. Maybe, for this reason, he was listed one among the top 5 Terrorists.
The Indian Army had fixed the end of 2017 as a target date, to eliminate all major terror leaders and Burhan Wani faction for an everlasting peace and a permanent solution to the boiling Kashmir insurgency.
The gunning down of Abu Ismail is sensational, revengeful and a turning point in the Indian Army’s strategy.