Fri 05 May 2023:
The Indian army has said that five Indian military personnel were killed in a blast during a gunfight with militants in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region.
Indian defence forces have launched various operations in the Rajouri sector of the Himalayan region after unidentified shooters last month opened fire at an Indian army vehicle, killing at least five soldiers.
In a statement, the army said a search team on Friday encountered a group of fighters trapped in an area that was “thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs”.
“The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation,” the statement said.
Two soldiers died in the attack and another three succumbed to their injuries later in the day, it added.
.Disputed region
Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of the region is also controlled 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.
India has accused Pakistan of training and supporting the Kashmiri rebels, which Islamabad denies.
The portion controlled by India has for decades been the site of an armed rebellion seeking independence or a merger of the Himalayan territory with Pakistan.
Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and Kashmiri rebels have been killed in the conflict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has clamped down on dissent since a snap 2019 decision to rescind the territory’s limited autonomy under India’s constitution.
The death toll has fallen since, but young men continue to join the rebellion.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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