Five suspected rebels were killed in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir near the line of control dividing the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan on Friday, according to Indian police.
“Foreign terrorists” died in a clash with government forces in the Jumagund forest area, some 100km northwest of Srinagar, the region’s capital, the region’s police chief said. Vijay Kumar, on his Twitter account.
The shooting could not be independently confirmed by AFP.
According to Indian authorities, the incident came two days after two suspected rebels were killed in the same region during an attempted incursion by an armed group from Pakistani territory.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, who have claimed sovereignty over the entire Himalayan territory since gaining independence in 1947. He was the catalyst of two of the three wars that have happened to them since then.
The Indian-administered part has seen unrest for more than three decades that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Delhi accuses Pakistan of supporting the separatists, which Islamabad denies.
Pakistan severed trade and diplomatic ties with India in 2019 after New Delhi decided to revoke the semi-autonomous status of the Indian-administered Muslim-majority territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Since 2019, the separatist insurgency in Indian Kashmir has been largely crushed, although young men continue to join it.
A total of seven soldiers, 17 suspected rebels and ten civilians have been killed in the violence since the beginning of the year.
According to official figures, at least 223 combatants and 30 civilians had been killed in the region by 2022.