As local election campaigns continue in the disputed territory of Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK), two suspected fighters were killed by Indian soldiers on Wednesday, the army reported.
IoK is preparing for the first local assembly elections in ten years, which will take place on September 18 and feature three phases of voting.
According to the Indian army, the alleged fighters had been “neutralized,” a phrase signifying their death.
The majority-Hindu district of Jammu in the territory’s south, Kathua, was the scene of the fighting.
Fighting a 35-year insurgency that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and freedom fighters since 1989, over 500,000 Indian troops are stationed in the area.
On the Indian side of the heavily guarded de facto border with Pakistan, the army announced on Monday that it had shot and killed two attackers.
Since the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the territory’s limited autonomy in 2019 and placed it under New Delhi’s direct authority, the area has remained without an elected local government.
Voting for the region’s assembly will take place for a total of 8.7 million people starting next week, with results anticipated on October 8.
In the southern Jammu regions of the region, which has a sizable Hindu population, Modi is anticipated to speak at rallies for his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the election.
Over fifty soldiers have lost their lives in fighting over the last two years, primarily in the Jammu region.
