Two days after body of a teenager killed by Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists was recovered in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, another youngster’s throat-slit body was recovered from the same area on Saturday afternoon triggering massive outrage in the region. The outfit has claimed that the two youngsters were involved in providing tip-off to security forces that led to encounters and subsequent killing of terrorists.
Sources said that police retrieved body of 19-year-old civilian Huzaif Ashraf from Hermain village in Shopian. He was a resident of Manzgam village of neighbouring Kulgam district. The body was recovered two days after another teenager Nadeem Manzoor, a student of XI class was killed by militants and a video on his alleged “confessional statement” was released by the Hizb terrorists.
The killings have triggered outrage in the Valley. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah describing it as “cold blooded murder” said the act was deeply disturbing.
“There can be no justification for this act & should force those who sympathise with these outfits to question how these murders make Kashmir a better, freer place,” said Omar in a tweet.
On Saturday Omar again tweeted, “Another dastardly killing of a young man, this time the terrorists slit his throat. This barbarism has no place in our society and no struggle, no matter how lofty the claims to justify it, can condone this inhuman behavior,”
A purported video emerged on social media on Friday showing terrorists firing a volley of bullets on Nadeem.
In the video, the gunmen could be heard asking Nadeem why he tipped forces about two militants — Idrees Ahmad (Chota Abrar) of Safnagri and Amir Amin (Abu Shoban) of Awneera — who were killed in a gunfight with forces in Safnagri earlier this month.
Hizbul Mujahideen outfit owned responsibility for the killings claiming "security forces informer" was punished.
Hizbul Commander Riyaz Naikoo released an audio statement along-with “confessional video statement” of two kidnapped youths.
Naikoo in the statement justified the execution of the youth who “accepted” his role in the killing of two Hizb terrorists in a gunfight in Shopian area. Earlier in the day, two youngsters were abducted by terrorists from Harmain village who were later set free. The killings have spread a sense of insecurity among the people in south Kashmir region.