Indian forces kill two militants, civilian in Kashmir
Indian forces have shot dead two suspected militants, including the top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group, during a fierce gunfight in the India-administered part of Kashmir, triggering an anti-New Delhi protest in the area.
The commander of the Pakistan-based militant group, identified as Wasim Shah, was killed on Saturday, after soldiers and special police forces acting on a tip-off besieged the southern village of Litter in Pulwama district.
“In the ensuing gun battle the LeT commander and his bodyguard were killed,” a police officer told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
News of Wasim’s death prompted hundreds of local people to take to the streets, with some protesters hurling stones at government forces and shouting slogans for Kashmir’s independence from Indian rule.
Indian forces responded with gunfire that left one dead and 15 others wounded.
Armed groups have been clashing with Indian troops deployed in the region for years, demanding that the largely-Muslim Kashmir be given independence or be merged with Pakistan.
New Delhi accuses Pakistan of dispatching militants into Kashmir to wage attacks on its forces. Islamabad denies that allegation.
The clashes over the years have killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians.
India earlier this year launched “Operation Allout” in an effort to hunt down anti-government militants.
Indian police authorities say at least 160 militants and 59 military or police forces have been killed so far this year.
The disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947 but both countries claim it in its entirety. The two nuclear rivals have fought three wars over the control of the territory since their partition.
Pezeshkian says seeking to prevent conflict expansion as Modi blasts Israel’s genocide
Putin: BRICS, not the West, will drive global economic prosperity
Party opposed to India’s stripping Kashmir’s autonomy wins key vote
VIDEO | 70 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza Strip
US Election Day: First votes cast in New Hampshire
Nov. 4: ‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation
Britons demand release of pro-Palestine activists
VIDEO | Israel's unwinnable war in Lebanon
Non-aligned nations condemn Israeli violation of Iran's sovereignty
IRGC: 10 foreign-backed terrorists killed, arrested in Sistan and Baluchestan
Iran calls on EU to end targeting ordinary Iranians after missile transfer claims refuted
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
