SRINAGAR, India (AFP) — Eleven suspected Muslim militants and a policeman were killed in gunbattles in Indian Kashmir, police said, in the bloodiest fighting during this holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Four militants were killed Wednesday as they crossed into southern Poonch and northern Kupwara districts from the Pakistani-zone of the divided state, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.
A de facto border divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, which both claim the scenic Himalayan region in full.
Police said government troops also shot dead two "wanted" commanders of the pro-Pakistan rebel group Hizbul Mujahedin in southern Doda district early Wednesday.
Five more militants and a policeman were killed in three gunbattles in Poonch, Kupwara and Kulgam districts late Tuesday, the spokesman added.
"It is the bloodiest fighting since the start of Ramadan," the spokesman said. Ramadan began in Muslim-majority Kashmir on September 14.
Ramadan in Kashmir has often been marked by increased violence as militants believe those who die fighting during the holy month gain more heavenly rewards.
At least 42,000 people have died in the revolt against Indian rule that erupted in late 1989.
With devotees packing out mosques, clerics have vowed to preach peace during the month.
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