SRINAGAR: The Indian army said that six suspected militants and an air force commando were killed on Saturday in a gunfight in India-held Kashmir, which also left a soldier injured.

Army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia claimed the shootout began when soldiers cordoned off a neighbourhood in the Hajin area after a tip-off that suspected militants were hiding there.

“Six terrorists have been killed in the encounter,” Col Kalia said. He added that one IAF [Indian Air Force] soldier was killed and another army soldier was injured.

On Friday a militant and a police officer were allegedly killed on the outskirts of Srinagar during a brief shootout.

Kashmiri militant groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers and paramilitaries deployed in the disputed Himalayan region, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.

The fighting and the subsequent Indian crackdown has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017