DHAKA: India’s army, which says it has been locked in a nearly two-week battle with dozens of suspected Pakistan-backed rebels, said Saturday it killed seven militants in 24 hours in disputed Kashmir.

The military says it has been fighting 30 to 40 rebel infiltrators who crossed the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan last month.

‘Four militants were killed in the Fateh Gali area’ of Indian Kashmir on Saturday, Colonel Rajesh Kalia told media, adding three other rebel suspects were killed in another gunbattle in nearby Gujardur area the previous day.

Kalia said assault rifles, pistols and rocket launchers were found at the scene of the latest firefight, just west of the abandoned village of Shala Bhattu in Kashmir’s Keran sector.

The fighting has been taking place in and around Shala Bhattu, 140 kilometres northwest of the main city of Srinagar, in densely forested terrain high in the Himalayas since September 23.

The Indian army says the infiltrators may include some special Pakistani troops — its Border Action Teams (BATs) that the Indians say are a mix of specially trained Pakistani troops and militants.

But Islamabad has denied any involvement in the fighting.

BDST: 1909 HRS, OCT 05, 2013
RoR/RIS