Local militant recruitment ‘all-time low’ this winter, say officials

Top security officials Thursday said that winter months of the current year witnessed “all-time low” recruitment of local youths into militancy, but asserted that the summer months will be “decisive” to determine whether the militancy was witnessing a declining trend.

According to official figures, in three winter months of2017—January to March—35 local youths joined militancy, including 29 fromsouthern districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag.

   

“Six local youth joined from northern districts of Barmullaand Bandipora,” the figures accessed by Greater Kashmir reveal.

A top security official said the winter months of 2017 “setthe trend” for recruitment of local youths into militancy.

“2017 was direct fallout of 2016 killing of BurhanWani andits aftermath,” he said.

During the winter months of 2018, according to officialfigures, 30 local youths joined militancy (from January 1 to March 28).

“Again, majority of these youth hailed from southerndistricts while only four belonged to northern districts,” the figures reveal.

Another security official, privy to the recruitment figures,said the recruitment “which takes place in the winter months sets the tempo forthe rest of the year”.

“In the summer of 2018, the recruitment continued,” he said.

According to the figures available with the police, thewinter of current year, from January to March 20, saw lowest-ever recruitmentof local boys into militancy. “Only nine youth picked up arms this year whichis the lowest since 2017 and a good sign. But the upcoming summer is going tobe decisive as it remains to be seen whether the graph of local recruitmentwould go up or remains low,” the official said.

“If the recruitment figure of local militants remains staticby the end of the closing months of the current year, we can determine whetherthe militancy is seeing a declining trend in Kashmir,” he said.

Since May 2017, 1056 militants including 30 top commandersof HizbulMujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Ansaar-Gazwatul Hindwere killed, according to officials.

The forces termed the killing of Lashkar chief NaveedJattalias Hanzallah, top Jaishcommander Noor Muhammad Trali and Hizb’s Sameer Tigeras the “biggest successes”, asserting that “targeting top commanders will helpcurb the local militant recruitment in Kashmir.”

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