Breaking: Father of slain militant joins militancy in South Kashmir

Father of slain militant joins militancy in South Kashmir

Anantnag: The father of a slain militant has gone missing here in Tral area of south Kashmir and is believed to have joined the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militant outfit, local and police sources in Tral said on Monday.

If that is true, 48-year-old Abdul Hameed Chopan will be the oldest among the cadre of militants here in south Kashmir. Chopan is the father of Adil Chopan, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, who was killed on November 20, 2017, in a gunfight with government forces in Gujjar Basti area of Tral.

Adil had earlier managed to flee from a gunfight site in Saimoh village of Tral in May 2017, during an encounter in which Hizb commander Sabzar Ahmad and his associate were killed.

A video of people escorting Adil safety out of the encounter site had gone viral on social media.

“Also, Abdul Hameed’s brother-in-law Maqbool Chopan was a Jaish commander.

He was killed in a gunfight only last month,” a local source told Kashmir Reader.

Abdul Hameed went missing from his home on July 19 after he left for irrigating his paddy field.

“He did not return and his phone is switched off ever since,” the family told reporters at their home. “We have registered an FIR in this regard and police are investigating his disappearance,” they said.

The police say that Hameed has joined the JeM.

“Yes, he has joined the militants,” a senior police official from the area told Kashmir Reader.

He added that Hameed will now be the oldest among the militants active in south Kashmir.

“Shameem, a militant from Satoora village of Tral, is also in the same age group but he is a few years younger than Hameed. So, yes, Hameed will be the eldest of the militants active now,” the police official said.

He said that the police were investigating the case filed over his disappearance.