Indian soldiers ‘kill 8 militants’ in Kashmir

Eight militants have reportedly been killed in separate gun battles with Indian forces in the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Indian police said on Sunday that seven of the fatalities had taken place during a protracted overnight shootout in Dragad Village, south of the capital, Srinagar. The gunfight also left a civilian dead and four Indian soldiers injured.

In a brief exchange of fire in the southern Anantnag district earlier in the day, one militant had reportedly been gunned down and another had been arrested.

Indian police told AFP that security forces were still taking fire from gunmen in the area.

Last year was the deadliest of the current decade in the disputed Kashmir region, with more than 200 militants killed in a counter-insurgency offensive dubbed “Operation All Out.”

Forty six militants have already been killed since the beginning of this year.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their partition and independence from Britain in 1947. The disputed region is claimed in full by both sides, which have fought three wars over it.

Despite a ceasefire agreement that was reached between India and Pakistan in November 2003, sporadic skirmishes continue in Kashmir.

Armed battles between Indian forces and militants over the years have killed nearly 70,000 people, mostly civilians.

Kashmiris have been demanding that the region be given independence or be merged with Pakistan.

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