SRINAGAR: Two suspected rebels and an Indian soldier were killed Tuesday in disputed Kashmir along the de facto border with Pakistan, where the two sides traded fire for a second day.
Army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said Indian soldiers exchanged fire with unknown combatants as they tried to cross the Line of Control (LoC) into Indian-administered Kashmir.
“Two bodies and three weapons were recovered from the site of the firing,” Kalia told AFP.
In a separate incident, an Indian soldier shot and killed his senior officer at a frontier post in Uri following a dispute between the two, Kalia said.
An investigation by the army and police is under way.
Along the border, India and Pakistan lobbed mortars for a second day, escalating tensions after deaths on both sides of the frontier.
An Indian soldier and an eight-year-old girl died Monday in an exchange of fire at the border, just a day after Pakistan accused its regional rival of killing four of its troops.
Following a phone call between top military officials on both sides, India defended its right to retaliate to “cease-fire violations” across the border.
India and Pakistan regularly exchange fire at the border despite a cease-fire agreement signed in 2003, and accuse each other of killing soldiers and civilians.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over it.
2 suspected rebels, Indian soldier killed in Kashmir
2 suspected rebels, Indian soldier killed in Kashmir
Central African Republic president seeks third term in election
- Since Touadera was first elected in 2016, in the middle of a civil war, the CAR has seen unrest ease despite feuds between armed groups and the government in some regions
BANGUI: Voters in the Central African Republic cast their ballots for a new president on Sunday, with incumbent Faustin-Archange Touadera widely expected to win a third term after touting his success in steadying a nation long plagued by conflict.
Around 2.3 million people are eligible to vote, with parliamentary, municipal and regional polls taking place at the same time.
Escorted by members of the presidential guard, Touadera arrived at a high school to cast his own ballot.
He urged people to vote “to allow our country to develop, to allow our country to regain peace and security.”
“It’s a very important issue,” Touadera, 68, told reporters.
Streets in the capital Bangui were quiet, with armored vehicles of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA deployed at road junctions.
Heavy security was posted outside voting stations, and helicopters flew overhead at a school near where Touadera was voting, while a long queue had formed. Since Touadera was first elected in 2016, in the middle of a civil war, the CAR has seen unrest ease despite feuds between armed groups and the government in some regions.
“We need a leader elected by the people, not someone who takes power by force,” teacher Julie Odjoubi, 44, said, her left thumb stained with purple ink to show she had voted.
Touadera is in pole position to win in a seven-strong field, after a new constitution was adopted in 2023.
