Indian Army kills 4 militants in gunfighting in India-controlled Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Four militants were killed in a gunfighting with Indian army Friday in India-controlled Kashmir on the eve of the Indian Independence Day, a defense spokesman said.

The gunfighting took place in Didam Gali village of Mahore in Reasi district, 180 kilometers north of Jammu, the winter capital of India-controlled Kashmir.

"The fighting broke out Friday evening around 19:15 local time when army came face to face with a group of militants present in a Mahore village of Reasi district. Four militants have been killed in the gunfighting after the village was cordoned off on intelligence inputs," said, Lt. Col. Biplab Nath, defense spokesman posted in Jammu.

Nath said the gunfighting has ended but search operations in the area were going on.

Over the past two weeks more than a dozen militants and three Indian army troopers were killed in different gunfightings with Indian army, close to line-of-control (LoC).

Indian army maintained that these militants had tried to infiltrate deep into the region and were killed close to line of control (LoC).

Meanwhile, the authorities have imposed severe restrictions in the Srinagar city and other major towns of the region on the eve of the Indian Independence Day.

Hundreds of policemen and paramilitary troopers have been deployed in the Srinagar city to ward off any militant attack. Sniffer dogs too have been pressed into service to check the explosives along roads and inside vehicles plying on roads.

Dozens of Kashmiri Muslims Friday afternoon also staged celebrations by unfurling Pakistani national flags and setting off fire crackers in Srinagar city, to celebrate Pakistani Independence Day, eyewitnesses and police said.

The celebrations started soon after the culmination of Friday afternoon prayers outside grand mosque of Srinagar.

"The youth unfurled Pakistani flags and burst fire crackers to celebrate the Independence Day of Pakistan. They also demonstrated against the New Delhi's rule in the region by raising anti-Indian slogans," said Manzoor Ahmad Mir, a local resident.

Police fired teargas shells and resorted to baton charging to quell the demonstrators. The police action resulted in pitching up a stone pelting between protesters and local policemen, who threw stones at each other.

All the separatist groups including both factions of All-Parties Hurriyat Conference have called for a shutdown Saturday on the eve of Indian Independence Day.

Every year over the past two decades, the Aug. 15 Indian Independence Day marks a complete shutdown in the region.