Four Indian soldiers and a policeman died and a member of the security forces was wounded in a firefight with rebels in Indian Kashmir, official sources said today, in a fresh clash in the disputed region.
"Contact with the terrorists was established at around 9:00 pm (4:30 pm on Monday in Lisbon), which resulted in an intense shootout", declared the army on the social network X (formerly Twitter), noting that the confrontation left several soldiers injured.
A police source, who asked not to be identified, told EFE news agency that the incident occurred near the city of Doda, after security forces received information about the presence of rebels in the area.
"At least five soldiers and a police officer were shot and injured after the initial exchange of fire with the terrorists," the source said.
After being taken to hospital, the official source added, four soldiers were killed overnight and another police officer died.
This is the second major shooting in a week in the Jammu division, until recently relatively peaceful and populated mainly by Hindus, which is part of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
On July 8, five soldiers were killed in a rebel attack in Kathua district. This is one of a series of developments indicative of the spread of rebel activities beyond the areas of Poonch and Rajuri, on the border with Pakistan.
Shortly after last week's attack, police estimated that 50 rebels may be operating in the area and Home Minister Amit Shah told the army to "utilize all counter-terrorism capabilities to eliminate the threat in Jammu".
Pakistan and India have disputed sovereignty over Kashmir since the division of the subcontinent in 1947, following British decolonization, and have fought several wars and other minor clashes.
Since 1989, the region has been immersed in an armed revolt against the rule of New Delhi, a conflict in which tens of thousands of people have died, while India accuses Pakistan of complicity in the rebellion and Islamabad denies it.
