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Srinagar, Kashmir administered by India – At least nine people, including three armed rebels, four Indian army soldiers and a policeman, were killed in a shooting in Kashmir administered by India.
The shooting that took place on Monday in Pinglan village, Pulwama district, comes days after 42 members of the Indian security forces were killed in a suicide bombing – the worst of these attacks in the last 30 years. conflict in Kashmir, which is feared a confrontation with Pakistan, his enemy.
A senior Indian military official told Al Jazeera that the operation against the rebels had been launched early Monday, as a result of information provided by intelligence services about their presence in a house from the village of Pinglan. It's over in the evening.
A police official told Al Jazeera that a Deputy Inspector General of Police, Amit Kumar, had been shot in the leg.
"A brigadier of the army was also wounded in the fighting," added the official.
Residents of Pinglan Village said that the armed forces had blown up three houses and a barn, and one of the owners, 30-year-old Mushtaq Ahmad, who was running a poultry shop in the village, had also been killed .
"His house was one of the houses that exploded, he is survived by two children aged four and three, he was dragged out of his house early in the morning by the army and was killed. Boy was also shot by his leg, "Ghulam Nabi, a resident, told Al Jazeera.
The police, however, said in a statement that the civilian had been killed after the rebels fired "indiscriminately". The statement also said that two of the rebels were foreigners and a local.
Officials said the rebels belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group, suspected of perpetrating the deadly attack on the 14 February convoy of Indian paramilitaries, which killed 42 men.
"One of the militants killed would be the group that led the deadly attack in southern Kashmir, and we are still checking the identity of these militants," said a senior official.
Since the beginning of this year, there have been 14 shootings in Kashmir. In February alone, there were six such encounters in which 14 rebels were killed.
The total number of rebels killed this year rises to 31, while 49 security forces died during the same period.
Residents said that those who opposed the security operation had been arrested.
"Many houses have been destroyed, many young people who have been arrested have been arrested, security is being reinforced and we have been forced into our homes," said Abdul Hamid, 50.
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| An Indian Army soldier carries a rocket launcher near the scene of the shooting in Pinglan Village [Younis Khaliq/Reuters] |
"We fear a violent reaction from the army after these incidents," said Hamid, a remark reflecting unprecedented tensions in the Kashmir valley following Thursday's attack.
On that day, 42 members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed when a 20-year-old suicide bomber rammed his explosives vehicle into one of the city's buses. convoy carrying men.
The deadly attack took place on a highway in Pulwama, which connects the main city of the disputed territory, Srinagar, to its southern part.
The rebel group JeM, based in Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack, forcing India to commit "firmly" and to take various measures, including the withdrawal of the most-favored nation status. favored (MFN) to its belligerent neighbor.
The bomber was identified as a local rebel named Adil Dar, a resident of Pulwama, who had joined the JeM suicide team nearly a year ago, according to police officials.
The deadliest attack so far in the decades-long armed rebellion in Kashmir has triggered enormous tension between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, facing general elections to be held by May, is under pressure internally for decisive action against Pakistan.
At the same time, as a result of the suicide bombing perpetrated on the Indian mainland, many "revenge attacks" were carried out by far right groups against Kashmiris who were "threatened with leaving or suffering the consequences".
Dozens of Kashmiri students fled their colleges across India and returned home.
Many residents of the nation's capital, New Delhi and other cities have proposed to the Kashmiris to leave their homes following death threats.
On Monday, Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty International India, said in a statement that the central government and the Indian state governments should ensure that "ordinary Kashmiri men and women are not the target of Targeted attacks, harbadment or arbitrary arrests following the killing of 42 members of the security forces. "
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