SRINAGAR: A seven-year-old girl and three alleged rebels were killed in a shootout with Indian occupation forces in Held Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.
Soldiers and police surrounded a village in Kupwara district at dawn on the de-facto border, believing armed rebels were in the area.
“Three rebels were killed in the operation. Unfortunately, we also lost a girl during the encounter,” Director General of Police SP Vaid told AFP.
The girl and a young boy were hit by stray bullets more than 100 metres from the firefight, Vaid added. The boy is in a stable condition in hospital, while a police officer was also being treated for injuries.
Last week a teenager was killed by a stray bullet during a skirmish between Indian occupation forces and rebels outside the main city of Srinagar.
Armed encounters between rebels and government forces have become more frequent following widespread unrest last year, sparked by the killing of a popular rebel leader by Indian forces in July.