Indian-controlled Kashmir gunfight death toll rises to 7
Published : 18 Nov 2017, 22:38
At least six Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and an Indian air force (IAF) commando were killed in a fierce gunfight in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir on Saturday, police said.
The gunfight erupted at village Hajin in Bandipora, about 32 km north of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
"The encounter is now finished and was a success," the region's police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said. "A total of six LeT militants were eliminated."
The gunfight was triggered by Indian military, paramilitary and police cordoning off the area suspecting the presence of militants.
"While fighting the militants, one IAF guard was killed and an army trooper injured," Col Rajesh Kalia, Indian army spokesperson told Xinhua.
According to officials, the slain IAF commando was part of the joint team that took on militants in the village.
Indian Army and police have claimed recovery of weapons and ammunition from the gunfight site.
Of the six slain militants, two were commanders of LeT.
LeT is accused of carrying out a terror attack on India's financial capital Mumbai in 2008. The attack claimed 166 lives.
Last month two militants and two IAF personnel were killed in a similar gunfight in the village.
A guerilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between the two sides take place intermittently across the region.
Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.