Gazi Haider aka Saifullah, who banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen appointed as its new operational commander chief in Kashmir, following the elimination of Riyaz Naikoo by Indian forces, has been instructed to carry out maximum destruction in the Valley

Jammu: Gazi Haider aka Saifullah, who banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen appointed as its new operational commander chief in Kashmir, following the elimination of Riyaz Naikoo by Indian forces, has been instructed to carry out maximum destruction in the Valley. 

According to inputs received, Hizbul, who was rattled after its commander Riyaz Naikoo was killed by security forces in Handwara, is keen to revive terror operations in the Valley. And to overcome the growing pressure from Indian forces, Hizbul has come out with a new plan. 

Almost five days after the killing of Naikoo, the Hizbul announced his replacement and ordered the new commander to escalate terror activities and carry out a major attack in the Vallery as soon as possible. Gazi, who has a deputy Zaffar-ul-Islam and chief military advisory Abu Tariq, has been directed by the high command of the terror group from Pakistan to join hands with Lashkar-e-Toiba and its newly formed wing TRF, and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

The security forces believe that they would plan a strike on them using a car or a suicide bomber. 

In 2016-17, when Burhan Wani took over as the Hizbul commander, Saifullah was entrusted with the task of treating injured terrorists. During this period, he trained a few other terrorists with his work. He was subsequently given the name of Dr Saifullah and is known with this name among security forces and intelligence agencies. 

In 2017, when Riyaz Naikoo became the operational commander, Saifullah was appointed his deputy. Agencies believe that he has direct contacts with terror outfit leadership across the border, which also includes Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin. 

However, it will not be an easy walk for the newly-appointed Hizbul commander Gazi Haider to carry out his terror plans in the Valley, and especially in the south Kashmir, where the roots of the terror outfit lies. The security forces in the last one month has killed many top terrorists including Riyaz Naikoo in the area. And this was admitted by Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin, who was seen addressing a thin gathering somewhere in Pakistan, in a clip that was widely shared on social media.