Ambushes by Indian troops, Kashmir rebels kill 4 combatants
SRINAGAR, India — A pair of ambushes by Indian government forces and Kashmiri rebels early Thursday killed two soldiers and two militants in the disputed Himalayan region, police said.
Militants ambushed soldiers in southern Shopian area as troops raided a village on a tip that rebels were hiding there, said S.P. Vaid, the police director-general. Another soldier was critically wounded in the attack. One of the slain soldiers was an Indian army major, Vaid said.
He said that two Kashmiri rebels were killed separately as they walked into an ambush laid by government forces in southern Kulgam area. Both rebels belonged to the largest Kashmiri rebel group, Hizbul Mujahideen.
Thousands of Kashmiris tuned up at the funeral of one of the slain rebels, chanting slogans in favour of Pakistan and rebels and also demanding an end of Indian rule over the region.