SRINAGAR: Indian troops have killed two Kashmiri youth in Poonch district of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in what is being described as another act of state terrorism. The incident occurred during a cordon and search operation along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Khari Karmara area, according to Kashmir Media Service on Friday.
The Indian army claimed that the “fighters” were attempting to cross into the Indian-controlled part of the disputed territory. The army’s White Knight Corps reported an intense firefight on Thursday night, which led to the “neutralization” of the two individuals. The army further stated that weapons and “war-like stores” were recovered from the site, although it is unclear whether the bodies of the slain fighters were also recovered.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been a point of conflict between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. The region remains divided, with both sides claiming it in full but ruling only parts of it. The recent escalation in the region follows decades of conflict, where rebel groups have been fighting for independence or for Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan.
Since 2019, when India revoked Kashmir’s partial autonomy, tensions have risen, and fighting has decreased only to be reignited by the increasing presence of additional troops and attacks by rebels, leading to the deaths of over 50 soldiers in the past three years. India has routinely accused Pakistan of supporting rebels by facilitating their movement across the LoC to launch attacks, a claim Islamabad denies, asserting it only supports Kashmir’s right to self-determination.
