Kashmir Seven suspected rebels shot dead India says

Kashmir: Seven suspected rebels shot dead, India says

Seven suspected separatist fighters were killed in clashes in two areas of Indian-administered Kashmir, police said on Friday.

Five men were killed in an exchange of fire in the Kulgam sector south of Srinagar on Friday as part of a search operation by the Indian Army.

Two more suspected rebels were killed on Thursday in a separate battle near the Line of Control that divides Kashmir in two.

This Muslim-majority Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan, which have claimed sovereignty over the entire area since their independence in 1947.

The two countries have fought three wars for control of the region, and since 1989 an armed insurgency in the Indian-administered part has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

New Delhi accuses Islamabad of sponsoring the attacks, which Pakistan denies.

The government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the partially autonomous status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and placed it under direct administration.

According to Indian authorities, at least 114 people have been killed in the conflict this year: 11 civilians, 23 members of the security forces and 80 suspected rebels.