By Zahid Rafiq
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir, India (AA): Four militants and three Indian soldiers were killed in a two day lon Sundayg gunbattle close to the de facto border between India and Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region, according to the Indian army on. Meanwhile, clashes erupted between students and government forces in Palhallan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday.
Witnesses said that the students of Government Boys Higher Secondary school staged protests against the arrest of students.
Government forces deployed in the area used tear gas to disperse the stone-throwing student protesters, triggering clashes..
Colonel Rajesh Kalia, an Indian Army spokesperson, said on Sunday that the gun battle near Indian held Kashmir and Pakistan border, started on Saturday when the Indian soldiers intercepted a group of militants in Nowgam sector, around 145 kms from capital city Srinagar, after they had crossed over from the Pakistan side.
Kalia said the gunbattle lasted two days and ended finally on Sunday with four dead militants and three Indian soldiers dead.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
The two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan. More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.
Additional news from The Muslim News
[Archive photo: Kashmiri girl-students run for safetly as Indian police use chilli smoke, stun grenades and water cannons as students protest in Srinagar 0n 24 April 2017. Photographer: Faisal Khan/AA]