6 Indian soldiers, 6 suspected militants killed in Kashmir attacks

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - At least six Indian soldiers and six suspected militants were killed in separate attacks in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region over the past 24 hours, officials said.

Police on Monday said that four soldiers were killed and six injured when suspected militants ambushed an Indian army vehicle with a grenade and gunfire in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district.

“Security forces retaliated but the militants fled into the nearby forest,” the police said in a statement, adding that reinforcement of police and paramilitary troopers has been pressed in to nab the militants.

Meanwhile, in two separate encounters, six suspected militants and two Indian soldiers were killed in Kashmir’s southern Kulgam district on Sunday.

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police RR Swain said the neutralization of such a large number of militants was a major achievement.

Jammu province has witnessed a spurt in militant activities recently.

On June 9, terrorists struck a bus carrying pilgrims from the Shiv Khori temple in Reasi district, killing nine people, including the driver and the conductor of the vehicle, and injuring 41 others.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts but claimed by both in full. A small sliver of the region is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Some groups in the valley have been fighting against Indian rule for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.