Earlier this week, Idrees Sultan Mir, an armyman from Safanagri village in Shopian, had joined the Hizbul.
Engineering student Aabid Nazir from South Kashmir’s Sophian joined the militancy ranks, just a few days after three militants from his village were killed by the security forces in an encounter in South Kashmir’s Kachdora on April 1.
Nazir is the fifth youth from the region who have joined militant ranks over the past five days, taking the total number of youths, who have joined militant ranks from the region, over past 20 days to nine.
A resident of Padderpora village, Nazir had qualified the written test for National Defence Academy (NDA), before he posted his picture with an assault rifle on a social networking site and announced that he has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen on Wednesday, police said.
Earlier this week, Idrees Sultan Mir, an armyman from Safanagri village in Shopian, had joined the Hizbul. His neighbour, Yawar Ahmad Yatoo, was also killed in the Shopian encounters. Idrees was posted with Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry.
Referring to an upswing in the number of such cases close on the heels of the twin encounters in Shopian’s Draggad and Kachdora villages on April 1— where security forces eliminated 12 militants, all locals — a senior police officer from south Kashmir said: “This is a worrying trend…South Kashmir has been witnessing an increased militant recruitment for over a year now. But of late it has seen a spurt despite the fact that lots of militants have been killed by security forces.”
The other youths who joined militant groups have been identified as Khalid Farooq Malik of Aliyalpora, Sameer Ahmad Sheikh of Rawalpora and Umar Ahmad Mir of Barthipora.