Indian forces kill 3 in Jammu Kashmir

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Two militants and a civilian were killed by Indian forces in Shopian district of southern Kashmir on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Rajesh Kalia, spokesman of the Indian Army, confirmed to Anadolu Agency that their forces had shot dead two militants in Kundallan village in Shopian.

Eye witnesses told Anadolu Agency that hundreds of youth from nearby villages took to the streets shouting pro-independence slogans and pelting stones at the Indian forces.

“The Indian forces opened fire at the protestors and scores were wounded,” Zubair Bhat, a resident of a neighboring village, told Anadolu Agency.

Dr Rashid Ahmad, chief medical officer of Shopian, told reporters that 120 people had been injured in the gunfight.

According to doctors at the local hospital, at least seven people brought in for treatment have bullet injuries.

Police in a statement said the two slain militants belonged to Jaish-e-Muhammad militant outfit.

“The killed militants were identified as Sameer Ahmad Sheikh, a local, and Babar from Pakistan,” police said.

“Some civilians were also injured in cross firing at the site of gunbattle, who were later evacuated to the hospital for medical attention. One of the injured persons later succumbed to his injuries while the other injured are stated to be stable now,” the statement added.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.