Asia-Pacific

Gunmen kill Indian soldier in Kashmir

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Unknown armed men have killed an Indian paramilitary soldier and critically injured another in a shooting attack in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir.

Srinagar police said the attack was carried out on Monday when the gunmen, armed with a pistol, opened fire on the soldiers from close range at a busy marketplace.

The city’s police chief Ashiq Bukhari said, “One of them died on the spot and the other is hospitalized with critical injuries.”

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

The shooting caused widespread panic with people running away from the scene.

The Himalayan region has been the scene of violent demonstrations over the death of several people by the Indian army. The latest attack seems to be in response to those fatalities.

On September 20, violent clashes erupted in Srinagar after Indian paramilitary troops prevented hundreds of people from marching to the southern town of Shopian.

Shopian has been under curfew for two weeks, following the killing of five people in two paramilitary shootings.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both countries claim the region in full but each only has control over a section of the territory.

Over the past two decades, the conflict in Kashmir has left over 47,000 people dead by the official count, although other sources say the death toll could be as high as 90,000.

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