No Local Kashmiri Youth Joined Terrorists Ranks In 2024, Local Recruitment Nearly Zero, Says Army

Outgoing GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai addresses a press conference, in Srinagar on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

Jammu and Kashmir News: The Indian Army has said that nobody from the local youth have joined the terror outfits in the year 2024, and the recruitment has come down to zero. The army has also said that the total number of active terrorists in the Union Territory is 80, and the majority of them are foreign terrorists. 

The graph of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir has been on a decline from the last few years. Barring a few incidents of violence, the situation has been under control in the Valley.

From the areas close to the Line of Control (LOC) in the Northern Part of Kashmir to the interiors of the valley, the situation has improved. Security forces have said that this year there has been no report of any local youngsters joining the terror ranks in the Kashmir Valley compared to 2023; around 22 local youth had joined the terror ranks.

General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army's strategic Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, said that there has not been active recruitment in the last year and a half.

“We have not had any active recruitment, as I see in the last year and a half. The numbers last year were down to a dozen across the year. And this year they are almost next to nil. The official number with agencies is 80, and you can see that's the lowest number in many years. We have gone below 100,” Ghai.

According to the security forces, maintaining the current situation of peace and improvement in the current atmosphere is the biggest challenge for them. The Indian Army believes that the security grid needs to be as tight and advocates that there should be no troop cuts in the Union Territory.

“If you see the violence parameters and atrocities committed by terrorists if you look at four or five incidents in the valley this year, they are negligible. Now the challenge is to maintain the situation. Kashmir has had a good year, and we need a few more years like this for lasting peace in the valley. That is going to be the biggest challenge for security forces given today,” Rajiv Ghai said.

In the recently concluded assembly elections, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed unprecedented public participation in the polls. The youngsters in huge numbers were seen attending the campaign rallies and standing in every polling booth of the valley to cast their vote. The security forces called it a win as the youth have chosen the ballot over the bullet.