NEW DELHI: Three soldiers were killed in held Kashmir during a gun battle in the occupied territory, the Indian army said on Thursday.

       Two army vehicles were conducting an operation in Rajouri district south of Srinagar, the region’s biggest city, when they were fired upon by fighters, a defence spokesperson said.

       “Troops sustained three fatal and three non-fatal casualties,” the spokesperson added.

       Army operations were continuing in the area and further details of the incident were “being ascertained”, they said. The fighting comes just days after India’s top court upheld a 2019 decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to revoke the autonomy of the Indian-occupied territory.

       Last month, five Indian soldiers and two suspected fighters were killed in the region.

       Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2023