Seventy young men have joined militancy in the past seven months this year with most of the recruits from three districts in south Kashmir, according to a senior official.
The new recruits mostly belong to Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts in south Kashmir, which has become the hub of tech-savvy terrorists.
“As many as 70 Kashmiri youths joined militancy in the Valley in seven months period this year,” the senior security officer told .
The officer claimed 88 Kashmiri youths joined militancy in 2016.
Since 2014, there has been a constant rise in the number of people joining militancy.
As many as 66 youths joined militancy in Kashmir in 2015 and 53 in 2014, according to data compiled by security agencies.
In 2010, 54 youths joined militancy and in 2011, the number came down to 23. It further dipped to 21 in 2012 and 16 in 2013, it said.
