Muslims in Kashmir filled mosques prayers on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan as Indian troops killed 5 rebels in a violent start to the fasting period.
SRINAGAR: Muslims in Kashmir filled mosques for Friday prayers on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan as Indian troops killed five rebels in a violent start to the fasting period.
Mosques and shrines in the revolt-hit state were packed with worshippers, many of whom prayed for peace, tears running down their cheeks.
"This is the month of peace and we pray to you, our Allah, to give us peace," cleric Ali Mohammed told worshippers in a mosque in Srinagar, urban hub of the 18-year-old revolt against New Delhi's rule.
Loudhailers mounted on utility poles were used by clerics to reach out to people in the busy streets who knelt in rows on rugs and prayer mats, forcing diversion of traffic in Srinagar, a city of one million.
"Let the violence end everywhere and let peace prevail," said 50-year-old shopkeeper Mohammed Ismail in Srinagar's busy commercial district which has been the scene of frequent militant attacks.
Meanwhile, troops killed four militants in a clash in southern Kishtiwar district around dawn, a police spokesman in Srinagar said.
"The four were members of Lashkar-e-Toiba," the spokesman said, referring to a hardline Muslim militant group blamed by authorities for deadly attacks in Kashmir.
Police said troops also killed another Lashkar member in northern Sopore town early Friday and were engaged in a fierce battle with militants in neighbouring Handwara district.
In the past, Ramadan in Kashmir has been marked by increased violence as Muslim militants believe those who die fighting during the holy month gain more heavenly rewards.
But this year no rebel group has threatened to intensify attacks during Ramadan in the Himalayan region.
Paramilitary forces maintained a tight watch to prevent militant attacks on security targets.
Police recovered four hand grenades from beneath a pile of bricks in Srinagar close to a shrine where thousands of Muslims offered prayers later in the day.
The insurgency against Indian rule has left more than 42,000 people dead since it began in 1989. Human rights groups put the toll at 60,000 dead and 10,000 missing.
Hopes for peace in Kashmir have risen with a ceasefire holding since November 2003 between India and Pakistan along a de facto border dividing the Himalayan region.
The daily insurgency-related death toll had fallen to two in 2007 from 10 in 2001 and India and Pakistan have persisted with a slow-moving peace process to solve all mutual disputes, including the one over Kashmir.
India and Pakistan each hold the region in part but claim it in full.
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