Five Indian Officers Killed in Kashmir Days After Worst Militant Attack in Decades by Niha Masih and Joanna Slater – Washington Post
Five security personnel were killed in an encounter with militants in Indian-administered Kashmir on Monday, deepening concerns that the territory is entering a new cycle of violence days after a suicide bomber carried out the deadliest attack in decades.
That attack, which killed 40 paramilitary officers, prompted promises of retaliation by India and a renewal of tensions with Pakistan. A Pakistan-based militant group called Jaish-e-Muhammad, or Army of Muhammad, asserted responsibility for the Thursday attack.
Early Monday, Indian security forces engaged in a multi-hour gun battle with militants in the district of Pulwama, the same area where Thursday’s attack took place.
Four soldiers and a police officer were killed, along with three militants and one civilian. The militants targeted were members of Jaish-e-Muhammad and one was a Pakistani citizen, said Dilbag Singh, the state police chief. One of the senior-most Indian police officers in Kashmir was also shot in the leg in the encounter, which lasted until Monday evening.
India holds Pakistan responsible for the attacks on its security personnel. It accuses Pakistani intelligence services of providing safe haven and material support to groups such as Jaish-e-Muhammad, something Pakistan denies…