Indian forces attack mosque in IOK

SRINAGAR: Indian forces killed eight Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), including two who hid in a mosque, officials said Friday, as New Delhi escalates counter-insurgency efforts in the territory.

The new fatalities following gun battles on Thursday and Friday take the death toll of Kashmiris over 100 this year, officials said. One gun battle at Neej, near Srinagar, led to the death of one Kashmiri and a night-long standoff with two others who hid inside a mosque, officials said.

Security forces used "tear smoke shells" on the mosque and later "neutralised" the two inside, Kashmir´s inspector general of police Vijay Kumar said in a Twitter statement.

There were no immediate independent accounts of the incident. Security forces also killed five Kashmiris who hid in an underground shelter in an apple orchard in Shopian district, security officials said. The shootouts have also sparked clashes between government forces and villagers.