Four policemen, two suspected rebels killed in India-administered Kashmir

In a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir, which is administered by India, two suspected rebels and four police officers were killed.

The Rising Star Corps of the Indian army claimed on social media on Saturday morning that “relentless operations” had resulted in the “elimination of two terrorists,” a term that typically refers to rebels opposed to Indian rule in Kashmir.

The official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, reported to the Reuters news agency, “We have recovered the bodies of three policemen and have also spotted the bodies of two militants lying in the forest.”

The area also contained ammunition and weapons, including two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, empty shells, and some assault rifle magazines, according to the official.

In the region, rebel groups have waged a bloody conflict with security forces for decades, resulting in thousands of fatalities. However, violence has decreased in recent years.

However, at least 14 security personnel were killed in these fighting in the first half of 2024, according to government data, and at least 30 were also killed in 2023.

Recent affronts

After a police foot patrol was ambushed while searching for fighters, the most recent conflict in the region, near India’s border with Pakistan, broke out on Thursday in the forested area near Kathua, in the southern region of Jammu, police chief Nalin Prabhat told reporters on Friday night.

Without going into specifics, the police chief claimed that the rebels were from Pakistan and that they had reportedly escaped a cordon by security forces four days earlier.

In reference to Pakistan, Prabhat said, “We will not sleep until we stop such activities of our neighbor.”

India and Pakistan have been at odds with one another for more than 70 years, with both countries asserting total control over the region.

However, India frequently accuses Pakistan of provoking attacks on Indian security forces across the heavily militarized unofficial border in Kashmir.

Pakistan, however, claims it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.

For decades, rebel groups have been battling to either demand Kashmir’s independence or a Kashmir-to-Pakistani union.

However, the region has exploded in anger since New Delhi ended Kashmir’s semi-autonomy, curbed dissent, civil liberties, and media freedoms, and stepped up counterinsurgency operations at the same time.

After the newly elected lawmakers of the territory sought restoration, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi supported the decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s partial autonomy in November of last year.