South Asia News
Security forces kill three suspected militants in Indian Kashmir
Oct 14, 2010, 7:48 GMT
New Delhi - At least three suspected separatist Muslim militants were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in India-administered Kashmir on Thursday, police said.
The clash with a joint team of army and police took place in the Shopian district, 50 kilometres south of state capital Srinagar.
'Three militants were killed in the gunbattle. We are conducting searches to track if there are more militants in the area,' district police chief Shahid Meraj told reporters.
He said the dead militants belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, one of the major militant groups operating in the insurgency-hit Himalayan region.
The army and police launched the raid after receiving a tip-off about the presence of the rebels in the area. The militants refused to surrender and opened fire, triggering a the clash, Meraj said.
India accuses Pakistan of training militants and helping Kashmiri rebels to foment trouble in India-administered Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies.
The two countries have fought two wars over the disputed Kashmir region. More than 45,000 people have died in the secessionist strife in India-administered Kashmir since the late 1980s.
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