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Five Kashmiris martyred as violence escalates in IIOJ&K

AFP
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021

SRINAGAR: Government forces martyred five Kashmiri youth in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K), police said Tuesday, a day after five soldiers were shot dead.

Police said the five Kashmiris were killed in two separate incidents in the southern Shopian area of the Muslim-majority region. Three of those killed were members of the anti-India group, police alleged, saying one of them was responsible for the death of a street hawker last week. Two Kashmiris also died in separate incidents on Monday, with one of them blamed by police for killing a taxi driver last week — allegations disputed by his family.

Tensions have soared after Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s semi-autonomy in August 2019.

The latest civilian killings have been condemned in Kashmir and across the country, including by politicians from all sides.