Online Desk: Indian forces` personnel arrested five Kashmiri youth during an operation in Kulgam district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The youth were arrested during a joint operation launched by personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police at Khrewan Chadder in Kulgam.

Those arrested were identified as Tajamul Hussain Mir of Gufbal; Rehmat Ali Naikoo, Tehrim Ahmed Bhat, and Manzoor Ahmed Bhat, all residents of Khrewan Chadder; and Kifayat Ahmed Dar of Maltalhama.

Indian officials claimed that the arrested youth were "militant associates" and that arms and ammunition had been recovered from their possession.

Notably, the arrests are part of a broader pattern of detentions of Kashmiri youth under various pretexts by Indian forces. Thousands of Kashmiris, including Hurriyat leaders and activists, remain incarcerated in jails across IIOJK and India.

Kashmir watchers and observers say that arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions are being used to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in IIOJK and deter Kashmiris from pursuing their demand for the UN-recognized right to self-determination.