Five Indian soldiers, two fighters killed in held Kashmir fighting

HELD SRINAGAR: Five Indian soldiers and two suspected rebels were killed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) during a firefight in the disputed Himalayan territory, an army officer said on Thursday.

An “intense firefight” broke out on Wednesday after troops pursued fighters into the dense forests of Kalakote in southern Kashmir, the army´s 16 Corps said in a social media post. The fighting killed five soldiers, including two elite commandos, and left another soldier wounded, an army officer told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because the military operation was ongoing.The army did not give details of how many suspected rebels were involved.

One of the two martyred fighters was identified as a “highly ranked” rebel leader, the army officer said. Last week, Indian soldiers killed eight fighters in the Kashmir valley, the epicentre of insurgency.