OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: Six suspected rebels and a soldier were killed during two separate clashes in Illegally Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK) overnight, police said Thursday, rounding off another bloody year in the disputed territory.

Indian police said the six martyred in two villages belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammad, claiming two of them were Pakistani nationals. A police statement issued Thursday said one of the four government forces personnel wounded in the clashes died of bullet injuries in a hospital.

Officials say that at least 380 fighters, nearly 100 civilians, and over 80 security forces personnel have been killed in the region since August 2019. That was when New Delhi revoked the region’s limited autonomy and brought it under direct rule, adding to anger among locals and galvanising support for self-determination.