Indian soldier, fighter killed in Kashmir gun battle
An Indian soldier and a suspected pro-independence fighter have been killed in a fierce exchange of fire between New Delhi forces and a group of armed men in the Indian-administered Kashmir, security sources say.
Gharib Das, the Indian deputy inspector general of police for the disputed region, said on Wednesday that the violent clashes took place in the village of Ladoora, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of the main city of Srinagar.
The Indian police official added that the fighting erupted after Indian forces launched a targeted operation against suspected fighters' position on an intelligence tip-off.
"One militant was killed and we had a fatal casualty of a soldier in the initial stage of the gun battle," media outlets quoted Das as saying.
The latest fighting comes days after Indian forces claimed that they killed at least four suspected fighters on August 27 and captured another during a day-long battle in forests in the same troubled area.
The Muslim-majority region of Kashmir has been the scene of violent clashes in recent years. Indian army soldiers are in constant clashes with the fighters seeking independence in the troubled region.
Moreover, the central government in New Delhi has deployed a large number of paramilitary troops to most parts of the disputed valley to prevent anti-India rallies and street demonstrations.
Kashmir lies at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute and more than 67 years of hostility between India and Pakistan.
New Delhi and Islamabad claim the region in full, but rule parts of it only.
India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire in Kashmir in November 26, 2003, and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with the two sides trading accusations of violating the ceasefire along their de-facto border dividing the disputed region.
Last week, cross-border fire between India and Pakistan killed at least 10 civilians from both sides.
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