Nine killed in Indian Kashmir gun battles

A house where suspected militants were holding up is seen in flames during a gun battle with Indian security forces (Hindustan Times)  

SRINAGAR AFP May3, 2020 – Five security personnel and four suspected militants have been killed in two gun battles in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said Sunday.   

Tensions are high in the restive Himalayan region contested with nuclear rival Pakistan after New Delhi scrapped Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in early August, with flashes of violence reported regularly.   

Four army personnel, including two officers, a counterinsurgency policeman and two militants died after a firefight in the village of Changimul near the Line of Control that divides the disputed territory, army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said .