SRINAGAR – Indian Army faces a new challenge in Occupied Kashmir as now itsown soldiers have started to join Kashmir Freedom struggle and fightagainst the Army.

Disbelief gripped the Indian Army ranks in valley after the Indian army manjoined the Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit in south Kashmir’s Shopiandistrict.

Mir Idrees, a sepoy with the 12th battalion of Jammu and Kashmir LightInfantry (JAKLI), had gone missing after leaving his home at Safnagarivillage on Saturday.

However, on Monday, his picture brandishing an AK-47 rifle went viral afterit was released on social networking sites. According to the summaryinscribed on the picture, he has joined the Hizbul Mujhadeen on Sunday.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Shopian, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar told DNAthat his picture has gone viral and they are verifying the availableinformation with his family. “We are verifying it with his family. We haveno information about his posting. We will check these details”, he said.

This is not the first time that an army trooper joined the militancy inKashmir. In July last year, Sepoy Zahoor Ahmad Thokar, of 173 TerritorialArmy (Engineers), joined Hizbul Mujhadeen, 23 days after he deserted hisunit at Gantamulla in North Kashmir’s Baramulla and decamped with an AK-47rifle and three magazines.

Mir is the third youth who had formally joined militancy in the last onemonth in the Kashmir valley. On March 28, pictures of an 18-year-old youthfrom Khanyar Srinagar, brandishing an AK-47 rifle, went viral after it wasreleased on social networking sites.

On March 24, pictures of a 27-year-old Junaid Ashraf Sehrai brandishing anAK-47 rifle went viral after it was released on social networking sites.Wearing a skull cap, Junaid alias Amaar Bhai, was seen with the rifle,indicating that he has joined the Hizbul. It is a usual trait of themilitant outfit of announcing the joining of a new cadre.

Junaid is the son of chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai,who reportedly joined Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in Kashmir.

Figures reveal that 126 Kashmiri youth joined militant ranks in the valleyin 2017, which is the highest in the last three years. Nearly 280 youthhave joined militancy in the last three years. Of these, 66 youth hadjoined militancy in 2015, 88 in 2016 and 126 in 2017