SRINAGAR, India: Government forces have killed seven suspected Muslim rebels in four gun battles in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Wednesday, just days before President Barack Obama visits India. Officials fear the rebels could step up attacks to draw attention to the unrest in the disputed Himalayan region while Obama is visiting this week. “They're also trying to create a situation where they may blame security forces for their actions,” senior police officer Shiv Murari Sahai said. The seven militants killed by police and army troops this week across Kashmir were targeted based on intelligence information, Sahai said. An umbrella organization of a Kashmiri groups recently said it was limiting operations to border areas until after Obama's Nov. 6-9 visit to Mumbai and Delhi. “We've reports that (intelligence) agencies are up to some mischief and if something untoward happens (during the President Obama's visit) it should not be attributed to militants,” the United Jehad Council said in a recent statement.
