Grenade event in Jammu and Kashmir, Kupwara area, India on Fri 16th June 2023

A cache of arms and ammunition, including five AK series rifles, 14 grenades, 500 AK rounds, night-vision goggles and weapons were recovered following the June 16, 2023 attack in Kupwara District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), reports Daily Excelsior on June 17. According to a statement by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, the five terrorists who were killed in the encounter had affiliations with the J&K Ghaznavi Force (JKGF), led by handlers Rafiq Nai and Shamsher Nai, residents of Poonch District who are currently settled in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operational "commander" overseeing tactical aspects from PoK was identified as Murtaza Pathan, also known as Ghaznvi, a Pakistani national and Afghan veteran associated with the Deoband school of thought.