2 from ‘militant-free’ Baramulla join ranks

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 11

Two local youths — one from Baramulla town and another from Hamrey Pattan — have reportedly joined militant ranks in Baramulla district, which was declared militancy-free around four months ago.

A picture of the Hamrey youth, Junaid Farooq, holding a gun surfaced on social media. “He had been missing for some time, but the family did not lodge any report. Now, his picture has surfaced and it is believed that he is active in south Kashmir, having joined the Hizbul Mujahideen,” a police official said.

The youth from Baramulla town is believed to have joined the Lashkar-e-Toiba soon after the killing of three local militants on the outskirts of the town in January. After the killing of Lashkar militants Suhaib Akhoon, Mohsin Bhat and Nasir Darzi, all from Baramulla, the police had claimed that Baramulla had become the first district of Kashmir with no surviving militant.

“Though the recruitment has largely been happening in south Kashmir, the joining of two youths from a district that was militancy-free is a cause for concern,” a security officer in Srinagar said.

The number of youths joining militancy had been small this year as compared to the previous year’s figure, he added.