Indian soldier, suspected rebel killed in IIOJK gunfights

NEW DELHI: An Indian soldier was killed on Sunday in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the army said, as troops battled gunmen in the latest violence in the long-running insurgency in the disputed Muslim-majority territory.

The army said an operation had been mounted “based on specific intelligence” about the presence of suspected rebels in remote southern Kishtwar where gunmen last week shot dead two village defence guards.

The village defence guards are a militia force tasked with fighting off rebel attacks in the Hindu-dominated areas of the restive territory.

The gunmen were from “the same group” behind the killing of the militia members, the army said in a post on X.

On Saturday evening the army reported killing a suspected rebel in a separate gunfight.

Police said another two gunfights were taking place in the Himalayan region on Sunday, with fighting reported in both the Zabarwan and Baramulla areas.