Off the wire
• Albanian agricultural exports increase significantly in 2016  • Top Buddhist monk passes away in Sri Lanka  • IS militants plan to use banned mustard gas in Iraq, Syria: media  • Africa Economy: IMF says Zimbabwe economic difficulties deepen  • Saudi Arabia says supports political solution in Yemen  • UN commends Zimbabwe for prioritizing gender equality  • 2015 the year of investment, job creation: Inditex CEO  • Nigerian oil workers launch nationwide protests against government's decision to split state-run oil firm  • Spotlight: Labor code reform triggers French youth, unions anger  • U.S. stocks fluctuate narrowly amid oil recovery  
You are here: 　 Home

Troops kill 2 militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir gunfight

Xinhua, March 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Two militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit were killed Wednesday evening in a gunfight with Indian troops in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The gunfight broke out at village Wandakhpora near Awantipora in Pulwama district, about 29 kilometers south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"After an exchange of fire, we recovered two bodies of militants from the spot and their identity is being ascertained," a police official said." It seems both of them are foreign nationals affiliated with LeT.

Reports said some militants have managed to break off the cordon and escape in the neighbouring villages. Police sources said a group of at least six militants was present in plant nursery for a meeting.

"We cordoned off the area and launched searches on specific intelligence inputs about presence of militants in the village," a police official said.

The troops have not suffered any damage in the gunfight.

Reports said the area was under cordon and searches were going on to trace the remaining militants.

While the gunfight was ongoing, some people mostly youth came out and threw stones on troops and police to help militants escape.

Police fired tear smoke shelling and warning shots to disperse protesters.

There has been an increase in the incidents of throwing stones and brickbats on the troopers during cordon operations and gunfights. Police has issued an advisory cautioning locals to stay away from areas that are under security cordon.

Last month two civilians were killed near a gunfight site in the region after police fired on protesters.

A guerilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between the two sides takes place intermittently across the region.

On Sunday, a militant was killed and a trooper wounded in fierce gunfight in the restive region.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Endit