Two members of India-backed militia killed in Occupied Kashmir

Indian soldiers in Occupied Kashmir killed two suspected gunmen during a firefight, police said Friday, hours after gunmen in a separate incident shot dead two members of a government-backed militia.

The gun battle started Thursday night in Sopore, in Held Kashmir's north, when Indian soldiers and police were searching for suspects.

"Two gunmen have been neutralised in Sopore encounter," police said in a statement Friday posted on X after the night-long operation.

Hours before the clash, gunmen shot dead two village defence guards in the remote southern Kishtwar after they were likely abducted.

The village defence guards are a militia force tasked with fighting off attacks in the Hindu-dominated areas of the restive territory.

This year the outfit, largely made up of Hindu civilians, was issued modern semi-automatic weapons and trained by the government forces following a surge in attacks on civilians and soldiers.

Kashmir Tigers, a group active in the territory in recent years, claimed in an Urdu language statement circulated by local media that the duo was killed after they were warned not to pursue gunmen.

The group also released photos of the two bloodied bodies.

Police said family members "have confirmed their identities" and that a joint police and army operation was underway to find their bodies in a forest where they had gone missing while tending to livestock.

The area's local lawmaker Sunil Sharma said in a statement late Thursday he was "deeply saddened by the horrific killing of two village defence guard members".