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Suspected militants kill several soldiers in India-administered Kashmir

At least five soldiers were shot dead during a search operation near the Line of Control, the Indian army has said in a statement.

Reuters

Indian security forces personnel stand guard in front of closed shops in Srinagar September 3, 2021.

Suspected militants have shot dead five soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir, an Indian army spokesman said.

"One JCO (junior commissioned officer) and four soldiers were killed during a search operation probably by infiltrators... The operation is ongoing," Colonel Devendar Anand told AFP on Monday.

The shootings occurred in a mountain pass near the Line of Control (LoC) dividing the area from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The shootings were the deadliest attack on military forces in the area since a ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the effective border was announced in February.

Kashmir has been divided between the two South Asian countries since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the Himalayan region in full.

For over three decades, rebel groups have been fighting Indian soldiers and demanding independence for Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and rebels have died in the fighting. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the militants.

The region has been subjected to a legislative blitz since August 2019, with tensions soaring after New Delhi scrapped Kashmir's semi-autonomy, applying new laws and scrapping others.

The anti-terror law was amended in 2019 to allow the government to designate an individual as a terrorist. Rights activists have called the law "draconian."

Hundreds arrested

Tensions have flared in recent weeks with a spate of shootings of civilians in the area in attacks claimed by an anti-India militant group.

Seven civilians were shot dead in six days last week, including two teachers on Thursday, sparking public outrage in Kashmir and across the country. Politicians from all sides have condemned the killings.

Authorities say at least 29 civilians - including workers from pro-India political parties - have been shot dead in Kashmir so far this year.

Twenty-two of them were Muslims, officials added.

Nearly 500 residents suspected to have links with banned religious and militant groups were detained across the disputed territory following the shootings, a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity on Sunday.

"No stone will be left unturned to find the killers," the officer added.

Local officials, on the other hand, say the number of people Indian forces have detained was close to 1,000 in a sweeping crackdown in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Speaking with reporters recently, the region’s top police officer Dilbag Singh described the killings as a “conspiracy to create terror and communal rift.”

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies