The Islamic State (IS) on Friday claimed for the first time that it has established a "province" in India, after a clash between militants and security forces in the contested Kashmir region killed a militant with alleged ties to the group.
IS's Amaq News Agency late Friday announced the new province, called "Wilayah of Hind," in a statement that also claimed IS inflicted casualties on Indian Army soldiers in the town of Amshipora in the Shopian district of Kashmir.
The IS statement corresponds with an Indian police statement earlier Friday that a militant called Ishfaq Ahmad Sofi was killed during an encounter in Shopian.