The Indian army said in a statement that it was conducting “intelligence-based operations to clear a group of terrorists” in the Bhata Dhurian region of Jammu Kashmir.
In the statement, it was stated that after a cave with “terrorists” was detected in the morning, an armed clash broke out between the insurgents and the soldiers.
It was stated in the statement that 5 Indian soldiers were killed in the explosion that followed the clash, and that the insurgents used explosives in retaliation.
Kashmir issue
When Britain withdrew from India, which it ruled as a colony, in 1947, Kashmir, which was a principality at the time, faced the choice of uniting with newly independent India or Pakistan.
Although the people of Kashmir, whose population is 90 percent Muslim, took a stand in favor of joining Pakistan in 1947, the prince of the time decided to unite with India.
The decision was opposed by the Muslim people of Kashmir. The sides fought for the first time in 1947, when Pakistan and India sent troops to the region. For the same reason, war broke out between the two countries in 1965 and 1999.
As a result of the temporary ceasefire after the wars, 45 percent of Jammu and Kashmir remained under Indian control and 35 percent by Pakistan. The 20 percent of the eastern part of the region was given to neighboring China.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) envisions the demilitarization of Kashmir with its resolutions taken since 1948 and that its future be determined by popular vote.
While the Indian government is against the referendum, Pakistan wants the UNSC resolutions to be implemented.