Four Indian forces killed in IIOJK gunbattle

Three freedom fighters also embraced martyrdom during the gunfight

SRINAGAR:

Four personnel of occupation forces were killed while three freedom fighters embraced martyrdom in the bloodiest gunbattle in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since April this year.

Indian Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia claimed that occupation forces’ patrol team noticed suspicious movement along the Line of Control (LoC) in the early hours of Sunday.

He said troops were rushed to the area and freedom fighters were tracked by surveillance devices. "A heavy gun battle followed in which three fighters died."

Four Indian army soldiers were killed in the gunbattle, he added.

This is the highest number of army casualties along the Line of Control in IIOJK since April this year.

Five Indian troops were killed in April this year when freedom fighters were challenged by occupation forces in the area.

The disputed Himalayan region has been fighting the Indian rule for more than 70 years and has seen decades of unrest that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government unilaterally revoked the autonomy of the disputed region to bring the territory under direct federal rule last year, sparking protests and a months-long internet blackout.

According to several human rights organisations, thousands of people have reportedly been martyred in the conflict in the region since 1989.