Two soldiers killed in Indian-administered Kashmir clashes

NEW DELHI (AFP): Two Indian soldiers were killed in clashes in Kashmir, the military said early Sunday, after security forces exchanged fire with militants in the disputed territory.

Kashmir, particularly its southern Hindu-majority region Jammu, has seen a string of battles with insurgents in recent months.

India’s army wrote on social media that two soldiers had “laid down their lives in the line of duty” in Anantnag district.

The army and police had clashed with militants after launching an operation in the area, according to a social media post by the local military unit.

The Chinar Corps said on X that two civilians were also injured “due to indiscriminate, desperate and reckless firing by terrorists.”

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and each side claims it in full.

Rebel groups have waged an insurgency since 1989, demanding independence or merger with Pakistan, in fighting that has killed tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels.

New Delhi and Islamabad accuse each other of stoking militancy and espionage to undermine each other, and the nuclear-armed rivals have fought multiple conflicts for control of the region.

In July, at least 11 Indian soldiers were killed in Kashmir following a spate of militant attacks.