Militant’s pic with US rifle goes viral
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, November 2
The J&K Police have started investigation after the picture of a Hizbul Mujahideen militant with an American M4 carbine surfaced on the social media.
The picture of Hizb militant Sameer Bhat, alias Tiger, holding the American M4 carbine in an orchard somewhere in south Kashmir surfaced on the social media today and was shared by netizens. Sameer is a resident of Drabgam, Pulwama, and operates in the district.
“After the picture surfaced on social media, we have begun investigation,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Pulwama, Mohammad Aslam.
“The US gun in picture was used by the American army in the early 1980s in the Afghanistan war but AK-47, being used by militants, is more effective,” the SSP said.
The matter is a cause for concern for the security forces in Kashmir. The US armed forces extensively use the M4 carbine, replacing the M16 rifle.
“We suspect that the US gun in the picture has been smuggled into Kashmir by Jaish-e-Mohammed militants from Pakistan, who infiltrated in the past few months,” a police officer said.
As per latest intelligence inputs, Jaish fidayeens are the new “force multipliers” of the Pakistan apparatus to keep the pot boiling in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of massive offensive against top militant commanders in Kashmir.
