Indian troops kill top Kashmir militant
Suspected commander of LeT was killed after soldiers surrounded the southern village of Litter
Srinagar, India - Government forces in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir killed a top commander from a Pakistan-based militant group after a fierce gunfight in the disputed region on Saturday that sparked violent protests.
The gunfight is the latest in a string of deadly shootouts between Indian forces and suspected insurgents during an upsurge in violence in restive Kashmir, where local groups have for years demanded that the region be given independence or merged with Pakistan.
The suspected militant commander, named as Waseem Shah of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was killed after soldiers and special police forces acting on a tip off surrounded the southern village of Litter.
“In the ensuing gunbattle the LeT commander and his bodyguard were killed,” a police officer said.
The Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) named the bodyguard as Naseer Mir of Litter village.
Hundreds of local people took to the streets as news of the deaths spread, with some protesters pelting government forces with stones and shouting slogans for Kashmir’s independence from Indian rule.
Security forces responded with gunfire that left one dead.
“One man died on way to hospital after he was hit with a bullet,” another police officer said, adding that at least 15 others were wounded during the clashes.
One more person with a firearm injury was referred to a hospital in Srinagar, the state capital, while reports from the area said at least three have sustained pellet wounds, IANS reported.
In another incident in the state on Saturday, a policeman was killed and another injured when militants attacked a police vehicle in Kulgam district, police said.
Constable-driver Khurshid Ahmad was killed and another policeman injured when mili- tants fired at the vehicle in Damhal Hanjipora area of Kulgam, the IANS reported quoting a policeman.
“The area has been cordoned off and security force reinforcements rushed to the spot,” a police officer said.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, which both claim the region in full.
Militant groups including LeT have been fighting for decades against Indian soldiers deployed in the territory. The fighting has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.
LeT has been blamed for being behind bloodshed in India, most notably the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 when heavily armed gunmen battled commandos on the streets of the financial capital, killing 166 people.
Earlier this year the Indian army launched an offensive dubbed ‘Operation Allout’ to hunt down anti-India militants.