Indian troops kill 5 suspected rebels in Kashmir fighting, police say
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/11/2023 (1045 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Government forces in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir killed five suspected militants in a gunbattle, police said Friday.
Indian forces launched a joint operation on Thursday evening following a tip that rebels were hiding in a village in southern Kulgam district. The siege led to a gunbattle that continued until Friday, police said.
Five militants were killed in the fighting, a police statement said. It said they had been involved in several attacks on government forces and civilian killings.
There was no independent confirmation of the police claims.
Residents said troops destroyed two civilian houses with explosives during the fighting, a common anti-militancy tactic employed by Indian troops in Kashmir. Another home was partially damaged.
At least two of the people killed were in their teens and three had joined the rebel ranks last year, according to police.
The counterinsurgency operation came two months after major fighting in nearby Anantnag killed three Indian soldiers, including a commanding officer and his deputy, and a police officer. Two militants were killed in the weeklong operation.
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir’s independence or merger with Pakistan. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal.
New Delhi insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and most Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle.
In 2019, New Delhi ended the region’s semi-autonomy and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms while intensifying counterinsurgency operations.