Two border guards and a suspected rebel were killed on Monday in a gunbattle in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Indian army said. [ad]“Two BSF (Border Security Force) soldiers were martyred and a terrorist was killed in the gunbattle,” army spokesman N.N. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two won independence from British rule in 1947. Several rebel groups have for decades been fighting an estimated 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the restive territory, demanding either independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands have died in the fighting since 1989 when the armed rebellion against Indian rule over the Himalayan territory began.

Source: The Guardian July 23, 2024 21:16 UTC