SRINAGAR – Two young Kashmiris, aged 16 and 21, were among the threesuicide attackers who targeted the CRPF camp at Lethpora in Pulwama in theValley on Sunday, resulting in death of five trooperslink>–a fact people in law administration and security forces find worryingbecause instances of direct local involvement in such attacks is rare,Hindustan Times has reported.

The people added that instances of such involvement are few and farbetween, even across the 28-year long freedom campaign in the Valley — notmore than half-a dozen times, they said.

In April, 2000, 17-year-old boy Afaaq Ahmad Shah, resident of Khanyar inthe state capital, carried out what is considered to be first suicideattack in the trouble-torn Valley, at the 15 Corps HQ.

The most recent instance where a local was found to be involved in asuicide mission, was in 2010 in the Lal Chowk attack.

“It is worrisome. The youth are ready to die in this manner,” said Jammuand Kashmir police chief SP Vaid .

Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group responsible for the Pulwama attack, justifiedusing a minor as a suicide attacker saying the trio offered themselves for“the mission.”

Kashmiris have been “part of suicide missions” before but not in “majority”(two of three terrorists), said Sheikh Mushtaq, senior journalist andformer Reuters Bureau Chief in Kashmir.

The two Kashmiris have have been identified as Fardeen Mohiuddin Khanday,16, resident of Hiana in Tral and Manzoor Ahmad Baba, 21, resident ofDrubgam in Pulwama.

Khanday, who is son of Jammu and Kashmir police head constable GhulamMohiuddin Khanday, left a 7.52 minutes video saying that by the time thevideo is released he would be in paradise’.

“Fardeen was known to the security establishment in the Valley as he wasfound to be in touch with a Jaish militant killed in March last year.Similarly, the second local suicide attacker, Manzoor Ahmad Baba used todrive a taxi before he joined Jaish on November 7, a day after anotherJaish militant he was closely associated with was killed by securityforces,” said a senior security forces official in Srinagar.

By releasing Fardeen’s video, Jaish seems to have taken a leaf out of bookof global terror outfits such as al Qaeda and Islamic State, whichregularly release video messages of their Fidayeens.

In his video message, Fardeen, speaking in Urdu, claims the “rise ofmilitancy has nothing to do with unemployment as being portrayed byIndia”; It’s a reaction to “Kashmir’s occupation by India” he adds.

“The Infidels have occupied our land, modesty of our women is at stake, soJihad becomes our duty,” he rants.