Six terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir by security forces, one soldier martyred

By Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Indian security forces shot dead six terrorists and lost one soldier in a series of operations in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, as a crackdown against militant groups continues after a spate of civilian killings this year, an official said. Few of the killed terrorists are said to be Pakistan nationals who infiltrated into the Kashmir valley.

“Six militants, including two Pakistan nationals, have been killed in two separate encounters with the security forces in Anantnag and Kulgam districts of Kashmir,” the Kashmir valley’s police chief Vijay Kumar said. An Indian army soldier was also killed in the back-to-back gun battles that took place in southern Kashmir, Kumar said.

Earlier this year, Kashmir valley witnessed a wave of civilian killings, with militants targeting non-Kashmiris, including migrant workers, and members of the minority Hindu and Sikh communities in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. Security forces in the valley responded with a series of counter terrorist (CT) operations.

CT operations in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir continue with more than 189 militants and 44 security personnel killed in Kashmir this year, according to a police official. “Forty-one civilians were killed this year as compared to last year when 33 civilians were killed in terrorism related incidents,” the official said, declining to be named.