IS declares establishment of a province in India

Indian security forces patrol in Kashmir. Photo: AP

The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) announced on May 10 the establishment of the "Wilayah of Hind" province in Kashmir after a "conflict that caused casualties" for the Indian army in the town of Amshipor.

Indian police confirmed on the same day that an IS fighter, Ishfaq Ahmad Sofi, was killed in the encounter.

"It was a clean operation, there were no casualties in the gunfight," an Indian police spokesman said.

Sofi had been involved with several militant groups in Kashmir for more than a decade before pledging allegiance to IS. He is suspected of carrying out several grenade attacks on security forces in the region. Army officials said he may be the only IS-linked militant left in Kashmir.

The announcement of the new province appears to be aimed at bolstering IS’s position after it was driven out of Iraq and Syria in April. India’s Home Ministry, which is responsible for security in Kashmir, declined to comment on IS’s move.

IS has stepped up raids and suicide attacks, including a series of bombings that killed 253 people on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka.

"The creation of a 'province' in an area they do not control is absurd, but it should not be taken lightly," said Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intel Group, which monitors Islamist extremists. "The world may not care about this development, but for the jihadists in the region, this is an important step in laying the foundation for rebuilding an Islamic 'caliphate.'"

Separatist groups have fought against Indian control of Muslim-majority Kashmir in an armed conflict that has lasted for decades. Most want independence for Kashmir or annexation by India’s longtime rival Pakistan. But unlike IS, they do not seek to establish a “caliphate” in the Muslim world.