A 19-year old boy from Keshwan area in Thakrie block of Chenab Valley’s Kishtwar District has reportedly joined militant ranks in Kashmir.
Identified as Mohammad Saleem, son of Late Lal Din R/o Sarwan Keshwan, who went missing on September 23rd has been traced with militants in Shopian District of South Kashmir.
Quoting a senior police officer, a report by Early Times said that Lal Din, the father of the missing youth, was also a militant who was killed during an encounter with government forces in 2007 when Saleem was 6 years old.
“Mohammad Yousaf Ismail, his uncle, was also a militant,” the senior police official said.
Saleem had been living with his old aged grandfather after his mother got remarried in Ramban, a decade ago.
“We are looking into the all possible aspects of joining of Mohammad Saleem into militants ranks like how he managed to reach Shopian and established contact with the militant group, who were the persons behind his recruitment into militancy, how he got radicalized and who was responsible for motivating him” said the official.
The official confirmed Saleem’s presences in Shopian, adding that he has been declared as a militant.
With joining of Mohammad Saleem, Kishtwar District now had four active militants which included longest surviving Hizb Commander Jahangir Saroori.