Indian troops and separatists die in Kashmir clash
11 OCTOBER 2017
At least two security officers and two fighters killed in a gun battle in Bandipora area of Indian-administered Kashmir.
Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown since the late 1980s [Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images]
byRifat Fareed
Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir - Two Indian Air Force commandos and two separatists have been killed in a gun battle in Bandipora district of Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said.
"The two commandos succumbed to their injuries," Director General of the State Police Shesh Paul Vaid told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
He added that two "terrorists" belonging to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group have also been killed in the gunfight in Hajin village in northern Kashmir's Bandipora, 30km away from the region's main city of Srinagar.
"One of the terrorists is local, while the other is Pakistani national," the official said.
The commandos were on a special training with the Indian army, officials said.
The operation started when the army cordoned off Hajin area after a specific input about the presence of separatist fighters, officials said.
"The encounter started during the darkness in early morning hours at 4am and continued for four hours," Inspector General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, Muneer Ahmed Khan told Al Jazeera.
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Two fighters managed to escape from the spot, he said.
"The internet services have been suspended in Bandipora district as a precautionary measure to prevent the law and order problems," Khan said.
The attack comes a day after at least three separatists and an Indian soldier were killed in three separate battles in southern Kashmir.