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.
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