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‘For the kick of it:’ Why this 14 year old joined the Lashkar-e-Tayiba

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Srinagar, Dec 10: Days after his image holding a gun surfaced on the social media, the 14 year old who had joined the ranks of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba was killed along with two others in an encounter.

Following an 18 hour long encounter at Mujgund on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday, the 14 year old was killed along with Saqib Mushtaq and Ali Bhai, a Pakistani national. Four security personnel and three civilians were injured in the encounter.

‘For the kick of it:’ Why this 14 year old joined the Lashkar-e-Tayiba

It may be recalled that the 14 year, a class 9 student had gone missing from his home. The family of the boy immediately contacted the police after he had gone missing from Hajin in August this year.

Two dreaded Hizbul terrorists killed in an encounter at J&K Two dreaded Hizbul terrorists killed in an encounter at J&K

The police had said back then that he could have joined a terror group. Superintendent of police, Bandipora, Sheikh Zulfikar said that he had joined active militancy some three to four months back.

The parents told the police that their son had said he was going to school, but never returned. On November 29, an image of the boy holding a gun appeared on the social media. His mother Fareeda immediately took to the social media and appealed to her son to return home. She also said that his father was ailing and hence he return home immediately.

The 14 year old has no criminal records. However he was part of stone pelting on some occasions.
Sources tell OneIndia that this boy was not ideologically driven and there is no record in the past to suggest that he had taken to terror to address a cause. He is part of those long list of persons from Kashmir who take to terror, as security agencies put it for a 'thrill seeking attitude.'

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This was a trend that was started after Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Ani took to the social media and posted images of him and his men with guns. This was an attempt to romanticise terror and it did work for sometime.

Officials also say that that there are new recruits with hardly any training. These are mostly poster boys aimed at attaining numbers. Any outfit would look lethal if they have a large number of recruits. However what is worrisome is that the new lot are all educated and this is a trend that needs to be reversed.

The problem in Kashmir is that terror is being romanticised. Most youth do it for the gun and the ideology is missing. It appears as though the youth are joining the outfit for a cause, but in reality 80 per cent of them do it purely for the kick of it.

This became clear following the arrest of a person called Danish Ahmed, who had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. In 2016, he was arrested in a stone pelting case, but was let off after counselling. He however took up arms in 2016 and became part of a camp that was being run by Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sabzar Bhat, who was Wani's successor.

Most youth pick up the gun to impress girls. He says that many local girls treat these youth as heroes. With a gun in hand, they feel strong and powerful and this impresses many girls, he had told the police following his arrest.

Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's KishtwarHizbul Mujahideen terrorist arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar

He also said that many top terrorists had multiple girlfriends.He said that these persons project themselves as Robin Hood before before the girls in a bid to impress them. He further said that not all the money looted by the terrorists goes into funding the terror organisation. He says that in most cases the money looted from banks or got from extortion is used to buy fancy gadgets and expensive clothes.

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