Police kill four militants in Kashmir carrying three AK47s each: ‘They were planning something big’

A fierce gunfight broke out between Indian security forces and suspected separatists on a national highway in Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday, killing four militants and injuring two police officers.

Police said 11 AK-47 rifles were recovered after the fight, raising alarm bells that the militants had been planning a significant attack with just days to go until local elections in the restive region. 

Mukesh Singh, police chief for the city of Jammu, told reporters that the level of weaponry found on the militants was unprecedented. “It appears that the militants were planning something big, because never in the past [has] each militant been carrying three AK-47s. This is the first [time] that such a huge recovery has been made.”

India accuses Pakistan of allowing or in some cases assisting Pakistan-based militant groups to infiltrate across onto its portion of the disputed region, which is claimed in its entirety by both Delhi and Islamabad. Pakistan denies supporting terrorism.

“There were general intelligence inputs regarding some fresh infiltration bids by Jash-e-Mohammad and Lashker-e-Toiba. We were on the alert. The intelligence inputs were with regard to the elections and disrupting the elections,” Mr Singh told reporters.

Police and paramilitary troops were put on high alert after the gunfight at a checkpoint on the main Jammu-Srinagar highway near Nagrota. The incident began when a truck was stopped for questioning. 

Militants hiding inside the truck then opened fire on the security forces, throwing a grenade, Indian officials said. As police opened fire in response, four militants were killed. Video of the incident that was shared widely on social media on Thursday showed a number of loud explosions ripping through the roof of the vehicle. 

A cache of arms, ammunition and equipment was recovered from the truck, including the AK-47 rifles as well as three pistols, 29 grenades and satellite mobile phones and compasses.  

India’s federal anti-terror body, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was to visit the site of the gun battle to investigate the incident. 

Rakesh Ashtana, director general of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), said on Thursday that more unrest was expected along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border separating India and Pakistan, with militants taking advantage of the snow in the mountains.  

The clash on Thursday comes a day after suspected militants hurled a grenade at security forces in the Pulwama area of what is now the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, leaving 12 civilians injured.  

Violent incidents are on the rise in the region since it was placed under a deeply restrictive lockdown in August last year, when the Delhi government moved to annul Kashmir’s statehood and special constitutional status. The Indian forces say they have killed more than 200 militants in the valley this year.