Indian army kills two ‘rebels’ in Kashmir

SRINAGAR:

Indian soldiers killed two suspected rebels early Friday in a gun battle in Indian Kashmir near the Line of Control, an army spokesman said.

Soldiers and police launched an overnight operation in Peethawada area, 70 kilometres northwest of Srinagar after receiving a tip-off that armed militants were hiding out in a local village.

"Two terrorists were killed in the operation," army spokesman Colonel N N Joshi told AFP.

Violence in the territory has sharply declined during the last decade, but armed encounters between rebels and government forces occur regularly.

In February, nine people including three Indian army special forces commandos were killed during a stand-off between militants and government forces that lasted three days.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2016.