J&K: Army says it will cooperate with probe into deaths of three civilians near gunfight site

The Army said on Saturday that it will cooperate with investigations into three civilians from Jammu and Kashmir being found dead near the site of a suspected militant attack in the Poonch district.

“Reports have been received regarding three civilian deaths in the area,” the Army said in a social media post. “The matter is under investigation. Indian Army stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations.”

The attack on the Army on Thursday left four Indian soldiers dead and two injured. The People’s Anti-Fascist Front, an offshoot of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The three civilians were found dead near the site on the next day. They were identified as Safeer Hussain (43), Mohammad Showket (27) and Shabir Ahmad (32), and were part of a group of eight civilians picked up for questioning about the Poonch attack.

The Jammu and Kashmir government acknowledged the deaths in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, but did not provide an explanation for how they occurred.

“The medico-legal formalities were conducted and legal action in this matter has been initiated by the appropriate authority,” the information and public relations department of the Union territory said. “Government has announced compensation for each of the deceased....

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