4 policemen, 2 militants killed in Jammu and Kashmir

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

Four policemen and two suspected militants were killed in two separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

Policemen came under attack when they went out to repair an automobile in the Arhama area in Shopian.

"Militants in the afternoon hours today fired indiscriminately at a police party. In this incident, four cops sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to a nearby hospital for medical attention," police said in a statement. The policemen later succumbed to their injuries.

Two militants were also killed in a separate gun battle in the Muniwald village of Anantnag district in southern Kashmir.

"A gunfight happened this morning between militants and our forces in the Muniwal village and during that gunfight two militants were killed," the statement added.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since 1947, the two countries have fought three wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971 - two of them over Kashmir.

Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

Since 1989, there has been a massive increase in the number of people who have been killed.