Two Muslim brothers, three Islamic militants and an Indian soldier were killed in ongoing separatist violence in Indian-administered Kashmir overnight, police authorities said Tuesday.
A spokesman said suspected militants abducted and later shot dead two brothers in the village of Panar, near Bandipora town, an estimated 60 kilometers north of the summer capital Srinagar.
Though none of the dozen rebel groups fighting Indian-rule in Kashmir has claimed the slaying, police believe the two were killed under suspicion of having provided information to the security forces about the movement of the militants in the area, according to AFP.
At Gandherbal on the outskirts of Srinagar Indian troops shot dead a militant during an overnight encounter, police said. The spokesman said the slain militant, Arshid Ahmed, was a Pakistani serving as a battalion commander of the dominant rebel group Hizbul Mujahedin.
In another incident in the region, two militants and an Indian soldier were killed in a shoot-out in the Darhal area of Rajouri district late Monday, the police spokesman said.
He said the clash took place when security forces closed in on a hide-out where militants were present. "The militants opened fire, which was returned by the troops," he said, adding the firing ended late Monday, but the searches in the area continued throughout the night. (Albawaba.com)
