Three more youth from Kashmir join militant ranks in valley state

The picture of 17-year-old youth Fahad Mushtaq Waza with AK-47 rifle has gone viral on social media.

SRINAGAR: Three more local youth including one from Srinagar have joined the militant ranks in last five days while three others, including a Kashmir University student, are missing since last week.

The picture of 17-year-old youth Fahad Mushtaq Waza with AK-47 rifle has gone viral on social media. He has reportedly joined Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba on the March 23 (Friday) and given code name of Abu Usama.

Fahad hails from Khanyar area of downtown Srinagar and had gone missing on last Friday.

His family members said that after offering Friday prayers, he told them that he would attend religious gathering for three days. 

“He had promised to return on Monday but did not return home and now we saw his picture with an assault rifle”.

Fahad’s mother Mymooona told reporters in Srinagar today that it was for the first time that her son, who would turn 18 next month, has lied to her.

Appealing her son to return home, she said, “What have you done to us - your grandparents have already died and your parents are in shock. For God’s sake come back home”.

In a related development, 21-year- old youth Rouf Bashir Khanday hailing from Dooru area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district has also joined militant ranks.

Rouf’s picture with an AK-47 rifle has gone viral and he has reportedly joined Hizbul Mujahideen.

The youth, who was pursuing graduation, had gone missing on March 8 and his family members had also lodged a missing report in a local police station.

On Saturday last, a youth Abid Maqbool Bhat son of a police constable Mohammad Maqbool and hailing from Khangund, Tral in south Kashmir had joined Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Abid’s picture with an AK-47 rifle had gone viral on social media. In the picture, he announced his joining Jaish with a code name of ‘Umar Bhai’.

Earlier, on Saturday the son of senior separatist leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai had also joined militancy last Saturday.

Sehrai’s son Junaid Ahmad Sehrai, who had done MBA, had gone missing from the home on Friday and next day his picture with an AK-47 rifle had gone viral on social media. He has joined militant group Hizbul Mujahideen.

Sehrai is a close aide of hardline separatist leader and had recently taken over a chairman of Geelani’s party, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.

Meanwhile, three youth Tawseef Ahmad Dar, Adil Hussain Dar and Sameer Ahmad Dar, all hailing from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have gone missing since last week.

Tawseef was a class 12th student while Sameer was a Post Graduate student of Kashmir University and pursuing Applied Geology, Earth Sciences Department. The third missing youth Adil is class 12 dropout and was working as a mason and leading prayers in a local mosque.

The families of the missing youth have filed missing reports in local police stations.

The families and relatives of the missing trio have appealed them to return home.

There has been a significant rise in militant recruitment in last two years with some recruits like Junaid and Manan having higher academic qualifications.

Last year, 126 youth joined militant groups in Kashmir and the figure stood 88 in 2016.

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