SRINAGAR: An Indian army lieutenant and five suspected militants were killed Saturday in a clash along the de facto border that splits Kashmir between India and Pakistan, the army said.
The fighting erupted in the northern Gurez district when a group of "heavily-armed militants tried to infiltrate" into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani zone of the divided Muslim-majority territory, the army said.
"We have killed five militants so far and the operation is still on," Indian army spokesman JS Brar told AFP.
He said an army lieutenant was also killed and two soldiers injured during "heavy exchange of fire" that started early Saturday.
"By killing the militants we have foiled a major attempt by militants to enter (Indian) Kashmir," Brar said.
India says it regularly intercepts rebels sneaking into Indian Kashmir to fight New Delhi's rule in the scenic Himalayan region.
Pakistan denies Indian allegations it helps the insurgents cross into Indian Kashmir.
The violence has sharply decreased since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004. But over the past month, the Indian army has accused militants of making repeated bids to infiltrate into Kashmir.
COMMENTS (3)
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good work by army defending the nation borders..
and sacrificing their today for the sake of 1.2 billions Indians to enjoy our freedom 24/7.
but disagree with the earlier comment of mistreating dead militants..
as a Indian showing disrespect to dead enemies goes against what we believe and against our culture values which treats all religions equally..
i remember in school we used to read a verse each day from gita /grant shaeb / quran / bible ..
i say hand these dead for last rites back across the border
it wont be a sign of weakness but a act of humanity
something which separates us from these people
who come inside our borders just to cause killing of innocents
Rather than being buried, the bodies of deal militants, should be cremated. This will dissuade a lot of militants from coming over.
May the army men's soul rest in peace