Srinagar , India, Asharq Al-Awsat– For the first time in the history of the conflict in Kashmir , an Omani national was killed by Indian security forces on Tuesday.

Sheikh Fahd from Oman and Sikandar Khan were killed in clashes around Bihbehara, in south Kahmir, according to Col. Vijay Batra, an Indian army spokesman.

Both men are said to have belonged to the al Badr militant group.

A number of foreign militants from Lebanon, Sudan, Chechnya and Bangladesh, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan have been killed in the disputer territory of Kashmir in the past 15 years. The latest deaths come as the number of foreign fighters has dramatically increased in recent years.

Police Inspector K. Rajenderan in Srinagar , the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir indicated that almost 80% of recent militants active in the region were foreigners.