24 dead in held Kashmir fighting

Indian occupation troops in held Kashmir shot dead five suspected Mujahideen on Tuesday, bringing the death toll on both sides from several days of forest gunbattles to 24, the army said. An army statement said eight occupation soldiers and 16 suspected Mujahideen have so far died in the fighting in Kupwara district close to the Line of Control that divides the Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts of the Himalayan region.
The funeral of one of the Indian occupation troops killed in the fighting was also held on Tuesday, with the event well-attended, witnesses said, even though it is rare for residents of held Kashmir to honour those fighting for India. The dead soldier, a Shia from a village north-east of occupied Srinagar, died on Monday during heavy exchange of fire with suspected Mujahideen.