Five killed in Kashmir clashes: Indian Army

AGNECE FRANCE PRESSE
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)

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.