Militant recruitment rising alarmingly: Officials

◗ Shopian and Pulwama continue to contribute youths to the militant groups like ISISKashmir and Ansar Ghazwat- ul- Hind

Srinagar, June 3: The unilateral ceasefire during the holy month of Ramzan may have brought a halt to anti- militancy operations in Kashmir but security agencies have warned of a rise in recruitment of local youths into militant groups, that has crossed 80, and a rise in infiltration from various sides of the Line of Control ( LoC). The security agency officials said the highlyvolatile Shopian and Pulwama districts in South Kashmir continued to contribute more youths to the militant groups which included outfits like ISIS- Kashmir and Ansar Ghazwat- ul- Hind, a group which claims support of the Al- Qaeda.

As many as 20 more youths have joined the militant groups in the month of May which included Rouf from Ganderbal, a fourthsemester student pursuing a diploma course in government polytechnic, the officials said.

A Unani doctor, the brother of IPS officer Inamulhaq Mengnoo, has also been reported missing from Shopian and it is apprehended that he too may have joined terror groups, they said, adding that the figure at the end of April this year was 45.

The officials said another 16 were missing mainly from the twin districts and a probe was on to ascertain whether they have joined any terror group.

The officials said infiltration was also picking up and some of the terrorists had managed to sneak in from the Poonch and the Rajouri district of Jammu region as well as from the LoC in the Kashmir valley.