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Government forces kill five in Kashmir

GOVERNMENT forces killed five suspected rebels, including a teenager, in two gun fights in Indiancontrolled Kashmir, police said yesterday.

A policeman was also killed by unknown gunmen in a separate attack in the disputed Himalayan region.

Fighting began late on Saturday when troops, acting on intelligence, cordoned off two villages in the southern Shopian and Bijbehara areas, Inspector General Vijay Kumar told reporters.

He said two soldiers were wounded in Shopian.

A policeman working in a counter-insurgency unit was shot in the western Magam area, a local police officer said.

He blamed anti-India militants for the killing but gave no further details. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.

Earlier this year, the two countries reaffirmed their 2003 ceasefire accord. However, inside the Indian-held portion, a crackdown by Indian forces as well as attacks by rebels have continued.

New Delhi describes the Kashmir militancy as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and most Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle.

Kumar said one of the three suspected militants killed in Shopian was a teenage boy, and that a rifle and two pistols were recovered after the gun fight.

Other police officers said he was 16 years old and had joined the insurgency only a few days earlier.

In Bijbehara, Kumar said Indian forces killed two militants and recovered two rifles.