Indian Army officer, 3 militants killed in gunfight in Kashmir

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - An Indian Army officer and three suspected militants were killed in two separate military operations in Indian-administered Kashmir, the military said Saturday.

The army said in a statement that from April 9, soldiers laid a cordon in a forested area in the southern Kishtwar district following a tip that militants were operating in the area.

“A search in the area by soldiers led to exchange of fire with militants, initially leaving one militant dead late on Wednesday,” it said.

It added that despite inclement weather, soldiers maintained the cordon in the area, triggering more exchanges of gunfire that resulted in the killing of two more militants Saturday.

The army did not report casualties for the military.

In a separate incident, the army said soldiers in the southern Akhnoor area intercepted a group of militants late Friday near the heavily militarized Line of Control (LoC) that divides the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

“Fighting ensued during which one army officer was killed,” it said.

It said militants were trying to infiltrate India from the Pakistani-controlled area but were intercepted by the Indian Army.

In recent years, there have been increasing military operations in deep forested and bordering areas of the region with experts predicting a spread of militancy in deep areas has stoked new fears of violence.

Indian forces, however, have maintained that militancy in the region is on its last leg.

India and Pakistan rule the Jammu and Kashmir region in parts, but both claim it in full. The LoC divides the regions into two territories -- recognized as Indian-administered Kashmir, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, or Azad Kashmir.