Security forces are concerned over the new phenomenon of local educated youth joining terrorist outfits in Kashmir. There are about 80 to 100 such militants in South Kashmir, including areas like Pulwama, Srinagar and Sopore. Significantly, these young men train within the State to carry out terrorist attacks, unlike in the past when they used to ex-filtrate to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to learn handling of weapons in terrorist training camps there.
This alarming fact came to light when the Commanding Officer of the 42 Rashtriya Rifles Colonel MN Rai was killed in a gunfight with local militants in Tral area of Pulwama district last month. The two militants killed in the ensuing encounter were sons of a serving police officer and a State Government employee respectively.
One of them was active in the area since 2012 while another had recently joined ranks of a militant outfit after snatching the service weapon of a junior police officer. The duo was also instrumental in motivating local youth to join hands with them to widen the network of locally-trained militants. Elaborating upon the emerging trend, officials said more than one dozen youth hailing from South Kashmir and parts of North Kashmir enrolled themselves with local organisations and took up guns during the last several months.
Security forces are closely tracking funeral processions of such slain militants as local commanders, feeling the pinch of militant cadre, tend to poach on vulnerable youth and motivate them to join their ranks after complete indoctrination. In fact, more than ten young men were reported missing after the funeral of terrorists killed in the Tral encounter and it is feared that they have joined terrorist ranks.
The trend of local “boys” becoming militants gained momentum in the last two to three months and security forces, including the Army, are alarmed over the development as recruitment of local youth into various terrorist organisations like Hizbul Mujahideen had nearly come down to nil over the last few years. It forced Pakistan to push in foreign militants to sustain terrorism in the State and nearly 400 militants are now active in both North and South Kashmir.
While the counter-insurgency grid comprising Army, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), local police besides the Intelligence set-up is actively engaged in neutralising the threat posed by foreign militants, officials admitted here on Friday the involvement of educated boys is a “cause for worry.”
The possible reasons for locals resorting to violence included disillusionment stemming from lack of development and jobs and terrorist organizations exploiting this factor under the garb of religion, they said. Terming the security situation as “fragile” in these areas, officials said security forces are battling these home-grown militants but the long-term solution was in the realm of political framework.
Northern Command chief lt-General DS Hooda recently shared his concern over the development and termed it as the biggest tragedy and also called for working together to address the issue. “It is a matter of huge concern not only for the armed forces but also for the local people,” he said.
Elaborating on the modus operandi of these young recruits, Hooda said they are getting killed within two to three months and even after only weeks of turning militants. “I think it is a big tragedy. We all need to work together on this issue. Not only the Indian Army, the State and parents of these boys have to come together to address the issue,” he added. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had also raised serious concerns over the issue.
On infiltration by militants from across the loC in the first two months of this year, they said so far no bid had taken place as most ingress routes are blocked due to snow. However, things will start hotting-up once snow melts in late March and highly-trained militants will try to sneak into Kashmir, officials said. The Army killed ten militants in January and the first week of February including seven in South Kashmir and three in North Kashmir, they added.