[Dawn] Indian troops on Wednesday shot dead seven rebels, many of them allegedly members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, in fierce gun battles across Kashmir, police said.The biggest battle took place in Kupwara near the Line of Control. 'Four LeT militants were killed in the encounter in Kupwara,' a police spokesman said, adding that three militants were killed in separate shootouts elsewhere.
After months of relative calm, there has been a rise recently in separatist violence across Kashmir, where officials say tens of thousands have been killed since a revolt against Indian rule broke out in 1989.