Four killed in fierce gunbattle in India Kashmir

At least four people have been killed in a fierce exchange of fire between Indian forces and a group of pro-independence fighters in the Indian-administered Kashmir.

Indian military sources said on Wednesday that violent clashes erupted after a group of heavily-armed fighters stormed an army base in Tangdhar, 140 kilometers northwest of the main city of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The military camp is located close to the Line of Control (LoC), which divides the parts of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir administered by India and neighboring Pakistan.

Indian defense spokesman in Srinagar N.N. Joshi has confirmed that the New Delhi forces killed three fighters  and another person, who worked on the base.

Joshi added that one Indian soldier was wounded in the firefight.  

Last week, fighting in the same region saw an Indian colonel killed in a gunbattle with Kashmir fighters, while two soldiers were seriously injured.

The Muslim-majority region of Kashmir has been the scene of violent clashes in recent years. Indian army soldiers are in constant clashes with the fighters seeking independence from New Delhi in the troubled region.

Moreover, the central government in New Delhi has deployed a large number of paramilitary troops to most parts of the disputed valley to prevent anti-India rallies and street demonstrations.

Kashmir lies at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute and more than 67 years of hostility between India and Pakistan.The two countries have fought two wars over the region. 

New Delhi and Islamabad claim the region in full, but rule parts of it only.

India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire in Kashmir on November 26, 2003, and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with the two sides trading accusations of violating the ceasefire along their de facto border dividing the disputed region.

In recent months, cross-border fire between India and Pakistan has killed several people from both sides.

Thousands of people have been killed in the unrest in Kashmir since early 1990s.

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