{"id":27678,"date":"2023-11-23T18:51:12","date_gmt":"2023-11-23T18:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/five-indian-soldiers-killed-in-iiojk-firefight-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-11-23T18:51:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T18:51:12","slug":"five-indian-soldiers-killed-in-iiojk-firefight-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/five-indian-soldiers-killed-in-iiojk-firefight-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Indian soldiers killed in IIOJK firefight | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Five soldiers killed and two suspected freedom fighters were martyred in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) during a firefight in the disputed Himalayan territory, an army officer said Thursday.<\/p>\n

An “intense firefight” broke out Wednesday after troops pursued fighters into the dense forests of Kalakote in southern IIOJK, the army’s 16 Corps said in a social media post.<\/p>\n

The fighting killed five soldiers, including two elite commandos, and left another soldier wounded, an army officer told AFP<\/em>, speaking on condition of anonymity because the military operation was ongoing.<\/p>\n

The army did not give details of how many suspected freedom fighters were involved.<\/p>\n

Freedom fighter groups have waged an insurgency in IOJK since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan. The conflict has left tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and fighters dead.<\/p>\n

Read also:\u00a0Eight Kashmiris martyred in IIOJK<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

India blames Pakistan for backing the fighters, a charge Islamabad denies, saying it only supports a Kashmiri struggle for the right to self-determination.<\/p>\n

One of the two slain fighters was identified as a “highly ranked” separatist leader, the army officer said, claiming that the fighter was a Pakistani national who had been active in the area for the past year.<\/p>\n

Last week, Indian soldiers martyred eight freedom fighters in the Kashmir valley, the epicentre of insurgency.<\/p>\n

IIOJK has simmered in anger since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government annulled its limited constitutional autonomy in 2019 and imposed direct rule.<\/p>\n

Indian authorities say at least 118 people have been killed in the conflict this year, including 11 civilians, 27 security forces and 80 suspected freedom fighters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n