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| - Indian government forces on Wednesday killed the leader of the largest Kashmiri militant group fighting for independence from New Delhi, authorities said. Riyaz Naikoo, the head of Hizbul Mujahideen, the leading local armed group in Indian-administered Kashmir, died when soldiers blew up two houses in Beighpora in the valley's south, Kashmir police chief Vijay Kumar told local news agency Global News Service. His death was confirmed by Indian national government ministers in New Delhi. Soldiers and counterinsurgency police were conducting house-to-house searches late Tuesday and Wednesday when they zeroed in on two homes where the top rebel leader was thought to be hiding. Fearing protests and an outbreak of violence as news spread that Naikoo was trapped, authorities on Wednesday cut mobile internet and messaging services in Kashmir, as well as mobile voice services on some networks. Hundreds of locals clashed with police and threw stones after they were stopped from marching towards his home village. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since independence in 1947, and has been the spark of two wars and numerous flare-ups between the two nuclear-armed foes. Naikoo was the longest-surviving commander in the Muslim-majority region, where a rebellion against Indian rule has raged since 1989 with tens of thousands of lives, mostly civilians, lost in the conflict. He took over the reins of Hizbul Mujahideen after its charismatic chief Burhan Wani was killed in 2016. Wani's death sparked fierce protests in Kashmir that left more than 100 dead. Former Kashmir police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said Naikoo's killing was a "big success" for Indian forces. His death came amid regular firefights between rebels and security forces. India has more than 500,000 troops in the region. At least 57 militants have been killed in Kashmir this year, according to an AFP tally. New Delhi regularly accuses arch-rival Pakistan of arming and sending rebels across the heavily militarised border. Islamabad denies the claims. Tensions have been high since August after New Delhi scrapped the region's semi-autonomous status and imposed a total security and communication blackout. Fixed lines, mobiles and internet services were cut before being gradually restored, although 4G mobile data has not been reinstated. Near-daily cross-border firing between India and Pakistan has also occurred regularly despite the pandemic and the ongoing Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. pzb/ja/grk/rma
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