This story is from April 1, 2018

Encounter concluded. One more terrorist body recovered from Shopian encounter site. In all 12 terrorists neutralise… https://t.co/mvXp5jYEAU — Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) 1522594486000

Photos of Army personnel Gunner Arvinder Kumar, Gunner Nilesh Singh & Sepoy Hetram who lost their lives in Anantnag… https://t.co/jcYUvszCSL — ANI (@ANI) 1522593700000

Mobile internet, train services suspended

(With inputs from agencies)

SRINAGAR: Terror groups in the Valley suffered a major setback as 12 terrorists were gunned down in counter-insurgency operations in three different areas in South Kashmir in which three Army jawans and two civilians were also killed.At a hurriedly called joint press conference of army, police and CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir police chief S P Vaid said this is one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley."Encounter concluded. One more terrorist body recovered from Shopian encounter site. In all 12 terrorists neutralized (one more being ascertained), three soldiers martyred and one terrorist caught alive. It’s unfortunate that stone pelting around encounter site cost four civilian deaths," Vaid tweeted.The operations by security forces rendered a severe dent to terror groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashker-e-Taiba, officials said here.Three army jawans have lost their lives in the operations at Kachdooru in Shopian, officials said, adding three bodies of terrorists have been recovered from the debris so far.The three martyred army jawans have been identified as - gunner Arvinder Kumar, gunner Nilesh Singh and Sepoy Hetram, reported ANIThe operation has been called off at Kachdooru and the security personnel will search the debris again tomorrow, the officials said.Earlier, at a press conference called at Victor Force headquarters at Awantipura, around 33 kilometres from here, Corps Commander of XV Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, termed it one of the biggest operations in recent times and said the death of Lt Umar Fayaz, who was brutally killed in Shopian last year, had been avenged."Among the militants killed are Ishfaq Malik and Rayees Thokar. They were responsible for his death," Bhatt said.Fayaz, 22, was killed by terrorists in May last year. His body was found with bullet wounds in the Hermain area of Shopian district in south Kashmir.The DGP also made a special mention of an SSP's efforts to convince a terrorist to surrender during the Dialgam encounter."I would like to make a special mention about the Dialgam encounter where our Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) made a special effort, which is unheard of in any part of the world.""He called the family members of one of the terrorists. They spoke with him for 30 minutes, to convince him to surrender," the officer said."Unfortunately, he did not heed the advice of his family. During the talks, the district SSP tried to get him over. Instead he fired on the police leaving them with no option other than to retaliate. He was killed. The other one was caught alive," he said.On the operations at Kachedoora, the DGP said there was information about the presence of four to five terrorists, but "we will be able to give a clear picture only after the debris is cleared".One civilian death was reported from Draggad and the other at Kachudoora, both in Shopian district, the police chief said.Violence broke out at the Kachedoora encounter site in which 25 civilians received pellet injuries while six others suffered bullet injuries, the police chief said.The DGP said that all the seven terrorists killed in the Draggad encounter were locals and their bodies have been claimed by their families.Inspector General of CRPF Zulfikar Hassan pointed out that people came in large numbers at the encounter site in Shopian."The operations will not stop and we will have to take all offensive measures in case they do not refrain from throwing stones at the jawans engaged in the counter-insurgency operations," he said.Meanwhile, mobile internet services have been suspended in Kashmir as a precautionary measure following the encounters, officials said.Internet services on mobile devices were snapped shortly after clashes broke out at many places in south Kashmir and some parts of the city this afternoon, an official said.He said the decision to snap internet services was taken as a precautionary measure to prevent mischievous elements from creating law and order problems.The authorities also suspended train services in Kashmir as a precautionary step. Miscreants have targeted trains during law and order situations in the past.In Video: 10 terrorists gunned down in separate encounters in south Kashmir</s>Indian troops killed at least eight suspected militants in held Kashmir, triggering a new round of anti-India protests and clashes, officials said on Sunday.

The gun battle in southern Kashmir began overnight after government forces raided two villages following a tip that militants were hiding there, police claimed.

Police officials claimed the militants tried to escape from a security cordon while firing their guns and grenades but were killed in the ensuing fighting.

"Seven militants, including some commanders, were killed in Shopian area while one militant was killed and another captured in Anantnag early on Sunday," top Indian police officer in the region S.P. Vaid said.

Indian police said a third gunbattle also erupted in Shopian area where several suspected militants were trapped. No rebel group fighting against Indian rule immediately issued any statement about Sunday's fighting.

As the fighting raged, anti-India protests erupted in several villages in southern Kashmir in solidarity with the militants. Many protesters also tried to march to the gunbattle sites to help the trapped suspected militants escape, leading to clashes between rock-throwing residents and government forces who fired shotgun pellets and tear gas.

According to hospital officials and police, at least three dozen civilians were injured in the ongoing clashes.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India militants and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants.

The anti-India protests and clashes have persisted despite the Indian army chief warning recently that tough action would be taken against stone throwers during counterinsurgency operations.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which in recent years has seen renewed armed attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule.

Militants have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country.

Most Kashmiris support the militants' cause against Indian rule while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.</s>At least 20 people are dead and 70 injured in Indian-administered Kashmir after fierce clashes between militants and government forces on Sunday.

Four civilians were killed when police opened fire on stone-throwing demonstrators, AFP news agency reports.

Officials in Kashmir say this is the restive region's worst loss of life during a single day in recent years.

Kashmir has been caught in a land row between India and Pakistan for decades and has endured brutal conflict.

As well as the civilians, at least three Indian soldiers and 13 suspected militants are said to have died.
• What is Kashmir like?
• India and Pakistan up the ante on disputed border

Many civilians in Kashmir support separatist rebels who want independence or pledge allegiance to Pakistan.

The authorities are braced for ongoing violence.</s>SRINAGAR, India -- A security clampdown and a strike sponsored by separatists fighting against Indian rule Monday shut most of Indian-administered Kashmir a day after deadly protests and fierce fighting killed 16 combatants and four civilians. Armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear fanned out across the region Monday and are patrolling streets in anticipation of anti-India protests and clashes.

Authorities have also clamped a curfew in the old parts of the disputed region's main city of Srinagar, the urban center of protests and clashes against Indian rule.

Shops and businesses closed in other areas where no security restrictions were in place. Separatist leaders who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir have called for a shutdown on Monday against the killings.

Authorities shut schools and colleges and canceled university exams in an attempt to stop protests by students. They also stopped train services and cut cellphone internet services in the most restive towns, and reduced connection speeds in other parts of the Kashmir Valley, a common government practice aimed to calm tensions and prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organized.

Troops laid steel barricades and coiled razor wire on roads and intersections to cut off neighborhoods as authorities anticipated widespread protests.

At least 13 rebels and three Indian army soldiers were killed in Sunday's fighting in three gunbattles in the southern Kashmir where new-age rebels have revived militancy and challenged New Delhi's rule with guns and effective use of social media.

As the fighting raged, massive anti-India protests erupted in several parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir and at least four civilians were killed and dozens injured in the latest round of anti-India protests.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. The protests have persisted despite the Indian army chief warning recently that tough action would be taken against stone-throwers during counterinsurgency operations.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which in recent years has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule.

Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Most Kashmiris support the rebels' cause against Indian rule while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.</s>SRINAGAR, India — Huge protests against India erupted in several parts of the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir on Sunday amid fierce fighting between rebels and government forces that killed at least 12 militants and three army soldiers, officials said.

At least four civilians were killed and dozens injured in the latest round of protests, which broke out after Indian troops launched counterinsurgency operations targeting mainly the southern parts of disputed Kashmir, where rebels have revived militancy and challenged New Delhi’s rule with both weapons and social media.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. The protests have persisted despite the Indian army chief warning recently that tough action would be taken against stone throwers during counterinsurgency operations.

Thousands of Kashmiris hit the streets Sunday, demanding an end to Indian rule over Kashmir as troops launched anti-rebel operations in three southern villages.

The gunbattles — the deadliest this year in Kashmir — began overnight after government forces raided the villages following a tip that rebels were hiding there, police said. They said that after the forces came under fire, the militants tried to escape from a security cordon while firing their guns and grenades but were killed in the ensuing fighting.

At least 11 militants, including some commanders, were killed in two separate gunbattles in the Shopian area, while one rebel was killed and another captured in Anantnag, said top police officer S.P. Vaid.

Three soldiers were killed and at least six police and soldiers were wounded, Vaid said.

Local residents said soldiers blasted several civilian homes with explosives while fighting the militants.

The Indian army’s chief in Kashmir, Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt, warned the militants to give up their arms or they would be “neutralized.”

Top separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said Sunday’s violence was “more havoc for Kashmiris, who are at the receiving end of execution and repression.”

Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country.</s>SRINAGAR, India — Officials say at least eight rebels have been killed in fighting with Indian troops in disputed Kashmir, triggering a new round of anti-India protests and clashes.

Police say the gunbattles in southern Kashmir began after government forces raided two villages in Shopian and Anantnag districts following a tip that rebels were hiding there and came under fire. The fighting is still raging in Shopian area on Sunday.

The news of the killings led to intense anti-Indian protests and clashes in several parts of the southern Kashmir.

India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.

Rebel groups demand that Kashmir be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.</s>Flames and smoke billow from residential houses after they caught fire during a gun battle between Indian army soldiers and suspected militants at Kachdoora village in south Kashmir's Shopian district, April 1, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Danish Ismail

Indian security forces killed at least three civilians and wounded about 70 in restive Kashmir on Sunday when hundreds of people tried to prevent them from carrying out operations against suspected militants, police and residents said.

At least 17 other people, including 13 suspected militants, were killed in gunbattles during the day in southern Kashmir, police officials said, the worst violence in the region this year.

When hundreds of people came out on the streets of Kachdoora village in Shopian district to try to halt a gunbattle between militants and security forces, troops used tear gas and pellet guns to disperse the crowd. They later opened fire.

Local residents said that after the protests, the security forces called off the operation. Police said five militants and three soldiers were killed in the fighting.

Muslim separatists have been waging a violent campaign against Indian rule since the late 1980s in Indian-held Kashmir.

Fighting also broke out in two other villages in the region on Sunday.

S.P. Vaid, the state director general of police, said the army received information on Saturday night about militants hiding in an area near Dragad village, about 50 km (30 miles) south of Kashmir’s capital of Srinagar and also in Shopian district.

“In Dragad, 7 bodies of militants were recovered including top commanders. They were killed in a gunbattle,” Vaid said, adding that the owner of the house in which the militants were trapped was also killed.

Another militant was killed in Dialgam village in Anantnag district, about 60 km (37 miles) south of Srinagar, while one was caught alive, he said.

Authorities have directed schools and colleges in Kashmir to remain closed on Monday to prevent any recurrence of violence, and restrictions have been imposed in several areas.

Train services to south Kashmir have been suspended as a precautionary measure, a railways official said, and internet services in five districts have also been blocked.

In south Kashmir’s Pulwama district the local administration has imposed restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles to prevent any violence.</s>SRINAGAR, India – Deadly protests against Indian rule erupted in several parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday following the killings of at least eight rebels in fighting with government forces, officials said.

The new round of anti-India protests and clashes, leading to the killing of at least one civilian, has come as Indian troops launched deadly counterinsurgency operations targeting mainly the southern parts of Kashmir where new-age rebels have revived militancy and challenged New Delhi’s rule with guns and effective use of social media.

The gunbattles in southern Kashmir began overnight after government forces raided two villages following a tip that rebels were hiding there and came under fire, police said.

Police said the militants tried to escape from a security cordon while firing their guns and grenades but were killed in the ensuing fighting.

Seven militants, including some commanders, were killed in the Shopian area, while one rebel was killed and another captured in Anantnag early Sunday, said top police officer S.P. Vaid.

Police said a third gunbattle also erupted in Shopian, where several rebels were trapped.

No rebel group fighting against Indian rule immediately issued any statement about Sunday’s fighting.

As the fighting raged, anti-India protests erupted in several villages in southern Kashmir in solidarity with the rebels.

Many protesters also tried to march to the gunbattle sites to help the trapped militants escape, leading to clashes between rock-throwing residents and government forces who fired live ammunition, shotgun pellets and tear gas.

According to hospital officials and police, one civilian was killed and at least three dozen others injured in the ongoing clashes.

Some injured were shifted to hospitals in the region’s main city of Srinagar.

Authorities cut cellphone internet services in the most restive towns, and reduced connection speeds in other parts of the Kashmir Valley, a common government practice aimed to calm tensions and prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organized. They also ordered curfews in some southern areas.

Several protests and clashes also erupted in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants.

The anti-India protests and clashes have persisted despite the Indian army chief warning recently that tough action would be taken against stone throwers during counterinsurgency operations.

Separatist leaders who challenge India’s sovereignty over Kashmir have called for a shutdown on Monday against the killings.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which in recent years has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule.

Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Most Kashmiris support the rebels’ cause against Indian rule while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.</s>Deadly protests against Indian rule erupted in several parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday following the killings of several suspected militants during gun battles with government forces, officials said.

A total of three Indian soldiers and 13 rebels died in the worst day of violence so far this year as clashes erupted in several locations south of Srinagar, the main city of the region.

Much of the violence took place around the village of Dragad, where seven of the alleged militants were killed, along with two soldiers.

Read more: What is Pakistan's militancy issue all about?

Four civilians were also killed and dozens injured when police opened fire on thousands of demonstrators who poured onto the streets of Kachdoora village in Shopian district, throwing stones and chanting slogans against Indian claim on the region.

Many protesters tried to march to the gun battle sites to help the trapped militants escape, and were confronted with tear gas and gunfire from Indian troops.

The new round of anti-India protests and clashes began as Indian troops launched counterinsurgency operations targeting mainly the southern parts of the disputed Himalayan region, where rebels have revived their violent challenge to New Delhi's rule.

Protests also broke out in Srinagar, where all schools were ordered shut on Monday. Train services to south Kashmir were suspended as a precautionary measure.

Authorities cut mobile data services in the most restive towns, and reduced connection speeds in other parts of Kashmir to disrupt the communications of protest organizers.

Kashmir has been divided between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947, but both claim it in full.

Many civilians in Kashmir — India's only Muslim-majority state — support rebels who have been fighting for decades for independence or for a merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands, mostly civilians, have died.

Last year was the deadliest of this decade in the region, with more than 200 alleged militants killed. That upsurge in violence has escalated in 2018, with 51 alleged militants already killed this year.</s>Violence erupts in Kashmir after security forces kill militants, say police

People shout slogans as they gather around the body of Shabir Ahmad, a suspected militant who was killed in a gunbattle with Indian security forces, during his funeral at Aghanzipora village, in South Kashmir's Pulwama district, March 16, 2018. — ReuterSRINAGAR, April 1 — At least 12 people, including eight suspected militants, were killed in gun battles with Indian security forces in southern Kashmir, police officials said, in one of the most violent days in the restive region this year.

Two Indian soldiers and two civilians were also killed, and more than 30 people were injured when hundreds of protesters pelted stones at the security forces to disrupt their anti-militant operations, police said.

Troops used tear gas and pellet guns to disperse the crowd, and later opened fire. Most of the injured sustained pellet wounds but six had gunshot wounds, said S.P. Vaid, the director general of the state police.

Local residents put the number of injured at over 50.

Muslim separatists have been waging a violent campaign against Indian rule since the late 1980s in Indian-held Kashmir.

Vaid said the army received information on Saturday night about militants hiding in an area near Dragad village in Shopian district, about 50 km (30 miles) south of Kashmir’s capital of Srinagar.

“In Dragad, 7 bodies of militants were recovered including top commanders. They were killed in a gun battle,” Vaid said, adding that the owner of the house in which the militants were trapped was also killed.

Another militant was killed in Dialgam village in Anantnag district, about 60 km (37 miles) south of Srinagar, while one was caught alive, he said.

Two Indian soldiers and one civilian were killed in another gun battle in Kachdoora village, which is also in Shopian district, where a battle with a separate group of 4-5 militants was ongoing, Vaid said. Train services to south Kashmir have been suspended as a precautionary measure, a railways official said, and internet services in five districts have also been blocked.

In south Kashmir’s Pulwama district the local administration has imposed restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles to prevent any violence. — Reuters
Clashes in South Kashmir, India, kill two civilians, three soldiers, and 13 militants.