Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command of the Indian Army on Monday said that though locals in Kashmir joining militancy “remains a matter of concern.”
“Local recruitment remains a matter of concern for allof us. Last year, we had 217 local youth who had picked up militancy. Thisyear, the number has significantly reduced and as on date there are only 40youth who have picked up arms,” Lieutenant General Singh said whileaddressing the media in Udhampur, reported news agency ANI.
He said one of the key reasons for locals picking up gun wasthe “radicalization and exploitation of social media by Pakistaniagencies.”
The army commander said that Pakistan was feeling”starved” due to a very effective counter infiltration grid of theIndian Army.