Kashmir: Clashes Between Army and Militants Leave Many Dead

On Tuesday, clashes taking place between militants and the Indian army in Kashmir left four militants and a para-commando dead while leaving two army personnel injured. 

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Army and police launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) at the Nadigam village, Shopian district of South Kashmir. An army team cordoned off Nadigam around 2:00 a.m. following inputs about the presence of militants in the area.

The army has suspended mobile telephone and internet services, as a “precautionary measure.”

Violent clashes erupted between the Indian army and civilians at the gunfire site leaving four civilians injured who were rushed to the summer capital Srinagar for treatment.  

This is not an isolated incident. On Nov. 18, two militants associated with the group Al-Badr were killed in a face-off with government forces at the Rebban area of the Shopian district.

Shopian is one of the most affected districts in Kashmir as violence and clashes are a regular occurrence. In March, a violent clash left over 200 civilians injured. 

Kashmir was a state of the British Empire between 1846 and 1947. The state was created in 1846 when a Sikh ruler bought Kashmir from the British. Maharaja Hari Singh, the then ruler of Kashmir, in Oct. 1947, gave acceded the valley into Indian territory despite the opposition of Kashmiris. 

Both India and Pakistan have disputed control of the territory for several decades, where each party gained and lost positions at different moments, and with many different cease-fires taking place between the countries.

In 1962 China became involved in Kashmir, gaining a part of the territory after the India-China struggle for control of Aksai Chin.

In 1987, insurgency rises in Kashmir after an election held in the India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir strengthens the standing of the pro-independence insurgency. The rigged election by the Indian government led to a series of protests which resulted in the Indian army's deployment in Kashmir in 1989. 

Since 1990s Indian troops greatly increased military attacks on the insurgencies and acting with impunity under the banner of fighting the insurgency.