July 29
Local youths joining Militant groups in the Kashmir Valley this year stood at 110 till July 15, with Shopian in south Kashmir accounting for the maximum recruitment at 28, officials said.
The numbers have drastically gone up as being constantly in 2018 reported by The Kashmiriyat.
In 2017, the total recruitment stood at 126.
Indian Security agency officials said highly volatile south Kashmir, comprising Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag and Kulgam districts, remained a region accounting for a higher number of youths joining militant groups as 91 youths joined various Militant outfits from here.
If this trend continues, 2018 may end up as the worst year in terms of number of youths joining various militant groups, according to the officials.
South Kashmir districts have witnessed a surge in youth joining the Militant ranks after the encounter of Burhan Wani on July 08, 2016.
Militancy this year has seen a huge rise after the three encounter that were held on a single day on April 01 in South Kashmir ending with the death of 13 local Militants.
The Himalayan region has seen large number of youth picking up arms since an armed insurgency began against the Indian rule in 1988.
Since their partition both India and Pakistan have fought three wars claiming the region in its entirety.