Five killed in Kashmir clashes: Indian Army

Five killed in Kashmir clashes: Indian Army
SORROW: Kashmiri women mourn during the funeral procession for Sheikh Tanveer Sultan, 32, in Srinagar. Sultan was reportedly shot dead by Indian security forces in the town of Kud. (AFP)
Updated 17 June 2016
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Five killed in Kashmir clashes: Indian Army

Five killed in Kashmir clashes: Indian Army

SRINAGAR: A soldier and four suspected rebels were killed in a gunbattle in Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday, an army spokesman said.
Soldiers intercepted a group of militants trying to cross the heavily militarised de-facto border from Pakistan into India at daybreak, triggering a fierce fire fight, the spokesman, N. N. Joshi said.
“Four terrorists were killed in the operation and a soldier who was injured in the firefight later succumbed,” Joshi told AFP. “This was the second infiltration bid in three days.”
A militant and a soldier were killed on Wednesday in a gunbattle in the mountainous region that lasted 24 hours.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947 but both countries claim the Muslim-majority territory in its entirety.
Rebel groups have for decades been fighting Indian troops deployed in the region, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians.
India regularly accuses Pakistan of arming rebels to launch attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Islamabad refutes the allegation, saying it only provides diplomatic support.
Overall violence levels have fallen since the 1990s when militancy was at its peak, but there have been a number of attacks on government forces in recent weeks.