SRINAGAR: Suspected separatists in Indian-administered Kashmir abducted and killed a military officer who was home on leave for a wedding, the army said on Wednesday.
Villagers found Ummer Faiyaz’s body early Wednesday, a day after he was snatched by unidentified men at his cousin’s wedding.
“Some unidentified terrorists yesterday abducted and then killed a young unarmed army officer,” an army statement said.
The killing comes amid an upsurge in violence in the disputed Himalayan region, where separatists opposed have repeatedly attacked government forces and banks in recent weeks.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Around 500,000 Indian soldiers are deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir, making it one of the most heavily militarised places in the world. Many local people deeply resent their presence.
Officials say the ranks of separatist groups fighting for independence have swelled since last July when the killing of a popular militant leader by government forces sparked months of unrest across the territory that left more than 100 people dead.
On Sunday, separatists attacked a police squad in Kashmir, triggering a gunbattle that left three civilians, one officer and an assailant dead.
The unit came under fire Saturday night as it reached a road accident site on a key highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of India, said senior police officer S.P. Pani.
He said the dead civilians were road construction officials of a private company.
One civilian and one police officer also were injured in the shootout, he said.
Police believe two insurgents escaped under the cover of darkness after the officers swiftly retaliated in Malpora, a village 65 km (40 miles) south of Srinagar.
Later, thousands of people participated in the burial of the militant. They chanted anti-India slogans amid a gun salute by militants who joined the procession.
Insurgents have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or merger with neighboring Pakistan since 1989.
Last week, the Indian army launched a massive search operation in southern Kashmir to hunt for militants.
Off-duty India soldier kidnapped, killed in Kashmir
Off-duty India soldier kidnapped, killed in Kashmir
France, Algeria to resume security cooperation: minister
- Algeria plays a key role in the latter, sharing borders with junta-led Niger and Mali, both gripped by terrorist violence
ALGIERS: France and Algeria agreed on Tuesday to restart security cooperation during a visit to Algiers by French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, marking the first sign of a thaw in diplomatic ties.
After meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Nunez said both sides had agreed to “reactivate a high-level security cooperation mechanism.”
The visit took place against a backdrop of thorny relations between France and its former colony, frayed since Paris in 2024 officially backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, where Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Nunez said Monday had been devoted to working sessions aimed at “restoring normal security relations,” including cooperation in judicial matters, policing and intelligence.
He thanked the Algerian president for instructing his services to work with French authorities to “improve cooperation on readmissions.” Algeria has for months refused to take back its nationals living irregularly in France.
The renewed cooperation is expected to take effect “as quickly as possible” and continue “at a very high level,” Nunez confirmed.
According to images released by Algerian authorities, the talks brought together senior security officials from both countries, including France’s domestic intelligence chief and Algeria’s head of internal security.
Invited by his counterpart Said Sayoud, Nunez’s trip had been planned for months but repeatedly delayed.
Both sides have a backlog of issues to tackle. Before traveling, Nunez said he intended to raise “all security issues,” including drug trafficking and counterterrorism.
Algeria plays a key role in the latter, sharing borders with junta-led Niger and Mali, both gripped by terrorist violence.
Ahead of the trip, Nunez had also mentioned the case of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist serving a seven-year sentence for “glorifying terrorism.”
It is unclear whether the matter was discussed with Tebboune, from whom the journalist’s family has requested a pardon.
