3 militants including top commander killed in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

Three Kashmiri militants, including a top commander, were killed by Indian forces on Friday morning in Shopian district of southern Kashmir. The killings come two days before the district goes to polls in the ongoing Indian parliamentary elections.

Indian paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) confirmed the killings and said they had recovered the bodies of the militants. One Indian army soldier was also wounded in the gunfight.

“The operation has concluded. Killed militants have been identified as Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Lateef Tiger, Tariq Molvi, and Sharik Ahmad Nengroo," the forces said in a statement.

Tiger was a close aide of Burhan Wani, a commander of the pro-Pakistan militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, whose killing in July 2016 sparked a massive rebellion and led to the resurgence of militancy in the region.

Tiger was the only surviving active militant from the original ‘Burhan group’ that included 12 militants. Only one of them, Tariq Pandith, who was arrested by Indian forces in 2016 and is incarcerated, survives.

The house in which the militants were ambushed was destroyed in the gunfight while two other houses were partially damaged.

As soon as news of the gun-battle and then the killings spread across the district, hundreds of people came out in protest, shouting slogans for independence and throwing stones at the Indian forces. Colleges and University campuses in south Kashmir were hurriedly shut down as students came out to join the demonstrations.

At least 14 civilian protesters have been reportedly wounded in the firing by Indian forces, with one civilian hospitalized with a bullet injury.

Mobile Internet service has been blocked in southern Kashmir and train services have also been suspended.

The Shopian district is going to polls on May 6 for Anantnag Lok Sabha (lower house) seat.

Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.