India: Two militants arrested, four killed in Kashmir Sep. 10-11

Event

Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants were killed and one surrendered in an encounter with security forces on Sunday, September 10, in Shopian district, located in the restive Kashmir Valley. On Monday, September 11, two other militants were killed and another arrested in Kulgam district, also in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Context

Hizb-ul Mujahideen is the primary terrorist group operating in India-administered Kashmir, but is headquartered in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is affiliated with several local terrorist groups active in the Indian Kashmir Valley and across Pakistan, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as with Afghan terrorist organizations, such as Hizb-e-Islami. The group is believed to have established ties with the Pakistani military intelligence.

Advice

As a reminder, some foreign governments advise against travel to parts of Jammu and Kashmir state, in particular the border region with Pakistan, due to the high threat of terrorism and other violence.