Kashmir rebels kill 4 combatants

SRINAGAR: A pair of ambushes by Indian government forces and Kashmiri rebels early yesterday killed two soldiers and two militants in the disputed Himalayan region.

Militants ambushed soldiers in southern Shopian area as troops raided a village on a tip that rebels were hiding there, said SP Vaid, the police director-general. Another soldier was critically wounded.

Vaid said that two Kashmiri rebels were killed separately as they walked into an ambush laid by government forces in southern Kulgam area. Both rebels belonged to the largest Kashmiri rebel group, Hizbul Mujahideen.

Thousands of Kashmiris tuned up at the funeral of one of the slain rebels, chanting slogans in favour of Pakistan and rebels and also demanding an end of Indian rule over the region.

At least two militants appeared at the funeral in Tantraypora village and fired dozens of rounds in honour of their fallen comrades.

Authorities enforced a security lockdown in Kulgam and blocked mobile internet in anticipation of anti-Indian protests.

Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers threw rocks at a raiding party of police and soldiers in Shopian area on Wednesday night and helped at least two rebels to escape the security dragnet, police and witnesses said.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. – ANA-AP