At least four Indian soldiers were killed in a shootout with rebels in India-administered Kashmir on Monday. The deadly clash took place in South Kashmir's Pulwama district as soldiers searched the area for militants tied to the Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad. Read more: Why Kashmir attack could spark a military confrontation in South Asia Two militants and a civilian were also killed in the firefight, police said. The militants are believed to have fled the area. Why tensions are particularly high at the moment Government forces launched a major manhunt and crackdown in Kashmir following last Thursday's suicide bombing that killed 41 Indian paramilitaries in the region. India blamed the attack on regional rival Pakistan. It was the deadliest attack on government forces in Kashmir's history and fueled huge public anger. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who will seek a second term in national elections scheduled for April-May — promised to give security forces "full freedom" to decide an appropriate response. Pakistan has denied any connection with the bombing. India imposed restrictions in the aftermath of last week's suicide bombing What is the Kashmir dispute? India and Pakistan both administer parts of Kashmir and each claims the entire region as its own. Around 70,000 people have been killed since rebels began fighting Indian rule in 1989. Unrest grew after a popular rebel leader was killed in 2016. The Indian government increasingly cracked down on rebel activity since. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price An unprecedented danger? On February 27, Pakistan's military said that it had shot down two Indian fighter jets over disputed Kashmir. A Pakistani military spokesman said the jets were shot down after they'd entered Pakistani airspace. It is the first time in history that two nuclear-armed powers have conducted air strikes against each other. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price India drops bombs inside Pakistan The Pakistani military has released this image to show that Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistani territory for the first time since the countries went to war in 1971. India said the air strike was in response to a recent suicide attack on Indian troops based in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan said there were no casualties and that its airforce repelled India's aircraft. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price No military solution Some Indian civil society members believe New Delhi cannot exonerate itself from responsibility by accusing Islamabad of creating unrest in the Kashmir valley. A number of rights organizations demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government reduce the number of troops in Kashmir and let the people decide their fate. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price No end to the violence On February 14, at least 41 Indian paramilitary police were killed in a suicide bombing near the capital of India-administered Kashmir. The Pakistan-based Jihadi group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, claimed responsibility. The attack, the worst on Indian troops since the insurgency in Kashmir began in 1989, spiked tensions and triggered fears of an armed confrontation between the two nuclear-armed powers. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price A bitter conflict Since 1989, Muslim insurgents have been fighting Indian forces in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir - a region of 12 million people, about 70 percent of whom are Muslim. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price India strikes down a militant rebellion In October 2016, the Indian military has launched an offensive against armed rebels in Kashmir, surrounding at least 20 villages in Shopian district. New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the militants, who cross over the Pakistani-Indian "Line of Control" and launch attacks on India's paramilitary forces. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price Death of a Kashmiri separatist The security situation in the Indian part of Kashmir deteriorated after the killing of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, in July 2016. Protests against Indian rule and clashes between separatists and soldiers have claimed hundreds of lives since then. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price The Uri attack In September 2016, Islamist militants killed at least 17 Indian soldiers and wounded 30 in India-administered Kashmir. The Indian army said the rebels had infiltrated the Indian part of Kashmir from Pakistan, with initial investigations suggesting that the militants belonged to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group, which has been active in Kashmir for over a decade. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price Rights violations Indian authorities banned a number of social media websites in Kashmir after video clips showing troops committing grave human rights violations went viral on the Internet. One such video that showed a Kashmiri protester tied to an Indian army jeep — apparently as a human shield — generated outrage on social media. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price Demilitarization of Kashmir Those in favor of an independent Kashmir want Pakistan and India to step aside and let the Kashmiri people decide their future. "It is time India and Pakistan announce the timetable for withdrawal of their forces from the portions they control and hold an internationally supervised referendum," Toqeer Gilani, the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front in Pakistani Kashmir, told DW. India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price No chance for secession But most Kashmir observers don't see it happening in the near future. They say that while the Indian strategy to deal strictly with militants and separatists in Kashmir has partly worked out, sooner or later New Delhi will have to find a political solution to the crisis. Secession, they say, does not stand a chance. Author: Shamil Shams cw/rt (AP, AFP, Reuters) Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.<doc-sep>Nine people including five troops died in a fire fight in India’s disputed Kashmir region on Monday, days after a suicide bomber killed 42 paramilitary force members in the insurgency-ridden state. Police said the gun battle erupted after security forces surrounded Pinglan village in Pulwama district, 20 miles south of Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar, following a tip-off that militants were hiding there. As the forces launched search operations in the village, they came under heavy gunfire from militants hiding in a house. An Indian Army major, three other soldiers, a policeman, three suspected militants and a civilian were killed in the shootout. Police said the two militants killed in the attack were involved in last Thursday’s bombing of the paramilitary convoy in nearby Awantipora, the deadliest single attack on the Indian security forces in nearly 30 years in Kashmir. They claimed both of them were Pakistani nationals and members of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM or Army of Mohammad) Islamist group that has claimed responsibility for last week's bombing. India holds the Pakistani military’s Inter Services Intelligence Directorate responsible for planning the strike that was executed by a 19-year old Kashmiri student from Srinagar. "The ISI's fingerprints are all over the bombing as the 19-year old suicide bomber could not have organised such a major operation by himself" a senior security official said on condition of anonymity.<doc-sep>
Four Indian soldiers, two suspected militants and a civilian have been killed in a gun battle in disputed Kashmir, officials say, further escalating tensions in the restive region. Key points: Tensions between India and Pakistan in the region are the highest they've been in years Tensions between India and Pakistan in the region are the highest they've been in years The battle occurred days after a Kashmir suicide bomb that killed more than 44 Indian soldiers The battle occurred days after a Kashmir suicide bomb that killed more than 44 Indian soldiers About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and Indian crackdown since 1989 Another soldier was wounded in the gun battle, which came after a local Kashmiri militant rammed an explosive-laden van into a paramilitary bus on Thursday, killing at least 40 soldiers in the worst attack against Indian Government forces in Kashmir's history. The fighting erupted early Monday after government forces surrounded a village in the southern Pulwama area on a tip that militants were hiding there, security officials said. As troops began conducting searches they came under heavy gunfire, leading to fatalities, police said. Local residents said troops destroyed one civilian house by explosives during the fighting. Police said they recovered the bodies of two militants from the debris. A civilian was also killed in the crossfire, police said. The dead soldiers included an Indian army major. The wounded soldier was reported to be in critical condition. The fighting triggered anti-India protests and clashes in the village, with local residents, mainly youths, trying to march to the site of the gun battle in solidarity with the rebels. Government forces fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters. No one was immediately reported injured in the clashes. Escalating tensions Young Kashmiris, including school students, have engaged Indian security forces in recent years. ( ABC News: Murali Krishnan In recent years, mainly young Kashmiris have displayed solidarity with the rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during India's counterinsurgency operations despite repeated warnings from the Indian authorities. Tensions have escalated in the region since Thursday's attack, which India blamed on Pakistan, promising a "jaw-breaking response". Pakistan warned India not to link it to the attack without an investigation, saying that it was part of New Delhi's "known rhetoric and tactics" to divert global attention from human rights violations in Kashmir. Archrivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the region in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. Most Kashmiris support the rebels' demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. The anti-India unrest grew especially after a popular rebel leader was killed in 2016. The Indian Government responded with stepped-up anti-rebel operations, leading to more protests. About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian crackdown since 1989. AP