Alwaght- Two Indian Army personnel and two pro-independence rebels have been killed in clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir, where tensions are high following the killing of a prominent Kashmiri leader.
Early on Tuesday, Indian troops ambushed the two fighters in Kulgam, south of the main city of Srinagar. "It was a deliberate and swift operation," an army officer told reporters.
In a separate incident, two Indian troops were killed and another was injured in a gunfight with rebels in Shopian district on Thursday, the officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The Indian forces mounted a cordon and search operation in the area in south Kashmir late on Wednesday night following a tip-off that armed rebels were present in the area.
Violent protests have erupted in Indian-administered Kashmir over the killing of a rebel leader early Tuesday.
According to Indian officials Abu Dujana along with his aide Arif Nabi Dar were killed after engaging in a lengthy gun battle Tuesday morning with government troops in Kashmir's Pulwama district, 35 kilometers south of the capital Srinagar.
The Indian government imposed a curfew on parts of Srinagar in anticipation of further protests against Indian rule while shutting down mobile phone and internet services across the region.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between Pakistan and India since partition. China also holds a small parcel of land.
Two of the three wars between India and Pakistan since 1947 have been fought over Kashmir, as well as the 1999 Kargil conflict between India and insurgents.
Many in Jammu Kashmir have called for independence or unification with Pakistan. More than 70,000 people have been reportedly killed since 1989.
The conflict in Indian-controlled Kashmir is basically a struggle for self-determination with residents of the region demanding a plebiscite while India rejects the call.
The partition of British colonial India into the dominion states of India and Pakistan in 1947 led to the emergence of the Kashmir conflict.
