Suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir ambushed an army vehicle, resulting in the deaths of five individuals, including three soldiers, officials reported on Friday. This incident occurred just days after gunmen killed seven construction workers in the disputed territory.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, with both nations claiming the territory in its entirety. India's army confirmed a brief exchange of fire with 'terrorists' late Thursday near Gulmarg, close to the heavily militarized unofficial border separating Kashmir from Pakistan.
India's Chinar Corps army unit expressed 'deepest condolences' and 'solidarity with the bereaved families' in a post on social media platform X, paying tribute to two slain riflemen. Another soldier injured in the attack passed away on Friday at a military hospital. A local government official, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media, informed AFP that two civilian porters employed by the army were also killed. The porters were travelling with soldiers when their vehicle was 'ambushed by militants.' Their bodies were handed over to their families for last rites, as witnessed by an AFP journalist.
The region's governor, Manoj Sinha, joined top army officers to lay floral wreaths on three coffins draped in the Indian national flag, paying tribute to the fallen soldiers at the military headquarters in Srinagar. 'Paid homage to the brave soldiers and Defence Porters,' Sinha posted on X.
India maintains a permanent deployment of approximately 500,000 soldiers in the part of Kashmir controlled by New Delhi. Anti-India rebel groups have been waging an insurgency for decades, demanding either independence for Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians, and militants to date. New Delhi frequently accuses Pakistan of supporting the rebels in launching attacks in Kashmir, a claim Islamabad denies.
Thursday's clash follows the recent killing of seven workers inside a labor camp near the construction site of a strategic tunnel connecting Kashmir valley with Ladakh, a Himalayan region bordering China. Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed serious concern over the recent attacks.
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