Five Kashmiris killed as violence escalates in IIOJ&K

SRINAGAR: Government forces killed five Kashmiri youth in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K), police said Tuesday, a day after five soldiers were shot dead.

Police said the five Kashmiris were killed in two separate incidents in the southern Shopian area of the Muslim-majority region. Three of those killed were members of the anti-India group, police alleged, saying one of them was responsible for the death of a street hawker last week.

Two Kashmiris also died in separate incidents on Monday, with one of them blamed by police for killing a taxi driver last week -- allegations disputed by his family.Tensions have soared after Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s government revoked Kashmir´s semi-autonomy in August 2019. The latest civilian killings have been condemned in Kashmir and across the country, including by politicians from all sides.