At least a dozen more local youths have joined militancy in Kashmir in the last couple of months, as violence continues to flare up in the Valley. Four soldiers and three militants have been killed in the Valley in three different gunfights in the last 48 hours, The Hindu reported on Tuesday.
Officials said the rising violence is reflective of the continuing draw of militancy among youth and tension building up between India and Pakistan in recent months.
They said violence would continue at this pace for some more time, given the spurt in local militancy, and the possibility of infiltration attempts before winter snow cuts off higher reaches of the Line of Control. One senior official said it was still not clear whether the latest round of violence was because of infiltration by militants. The Army has not yet reported any infiltration.
In contrast, local youths have been joining Kashmiri freedom fighters ranks in significant numbers. “We have definite reports to show a dozen local youths have taken to militancy in the August-September period,” he said. This takes the confirmed number of local youths who have joined militancy this year to over 60. The total numbers could be as high as 80, the official said.
Starting Sunday, Kashmir has witnessed at least three major fights between the army and Kashmiri fighters, in which the four soldiers were killed.
There are two factors that have changed in recent months — the growing tension between India and Pakistan and the large number of youths joining militancy,” one official said.
