The clashes between Indian security forces and Islamic
militants killed six people in Kashmir. Four
of them were civilians and one was a news photographer.
In the first incident in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, soldiers confronted a group of gunmen who opened
fire, killing two civilians inside of a house and wounding two others, Indian
army spokesman Lt. Col. S.D. Goswami said. They crossed the border with Pakistan and infiltrated into the area of the village of Kehli Mandi,
situated about 220 miles south of Srinagar, the
summer capital of India’s Jammu and Kashmir state.
The group of gunmen entered into the residential house of
Hoshiar Singh, president of International Democratic Party and shot him and his
wife. Both of them were killed and their daughter was severely injured.
Goswami said a soldier was also killed in the incident and
photographer Ashok Sodhi was shot. The 45-year-old photographer was immediately
taken to the hospital but he didn’t survived. He is believed to be the sixth
journalist killed in Kashmir since the
conflict erupted in 1989. More than 68,000 people died in the conflict since
1989.
In the second incident, two suspected militants were killed
in an exchange of fire with army and police in the area of Darsun, situated
about 75 miles north of Srinagar, said Vijay Kumar, the area police chief,
according to the Associated Press.
Separatist rebels have been fighting Indian rule for years
in Kashmir, which is divided into two regions - one administered by India and the other by Pakistan.
The photojournalist of Daily Excelsior newspaper was
incinerated in the evening in Jammu,
Arab News reported.
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