South Asia News
Two suspected militants killed in Kashmir border gunbattle
Nov 14, 2010, 12:28 GMT
Srinagar, Kashmir - Indian troops on Sunday shot dead two suspected militants near the border in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, officials said.
The alleged rebels were killed soon after they crossed the India- administered Kashmir Line of Control (LoC) from the Pakistani side, an Indian army spokesman said.
'The gunbattle began in the early hours of Sunday after a group of militants were spotted in the southern Poonch sector,' he said.
'This was a fresh infiltration bid. The militants are desperate to sneak into India before the mountainous passes close with heavy snowfall in the coming winter months,' he added.
The LoC divides the disputed Kashmir region into two parts, one controlled by India and the other by Pakistan.
Indian troops on the border have been on high alert with intelligence reports of increased infiltration attempts.
India-administered Kashmir has seen the rise of a violent separatist militant movement that peaked in the late 1980s.
India accuses Pakistan of aiding the militants and allowing them to run training camps across the LoC. Pakistan denies the charge and calls Kashmiri militants freedom fighters.
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