New Bloodshed in Troubled Kashmir: Two soldiers, Two Rebels Killed in Separate Armed Clashes

Kashmir, August 5, 2017: Two Indian soldiers and two rebels were killed in separate armed clashes Thursday in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, reports VOA.

The two soldiers were killed during a shootout in the southern district of Shopian, where they were taking part in a raid to capture suspected rebels. Another soldier was critically wounded in the incident.

The rebels were killed in the southern town of Kulgam when they walked into an ambush laid by government forces.

The bloodshed comes just days after the death of Abu Dujana, the commander of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group, was killed by Indian security forces.

VOA further states that parts of Kashmir have been administered by nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947, but both nations claim the region to themselves in full.

Rebel groups in the 'Indian-administered' region have waged a nearly three-decade insurgency seeking either independence or a merger with Pakistan that has killed tens of thousands of people, reports VOA.