Indian troops kill 2 militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir gunfight

Two militants were killed on Wednesday in an ongoing gunfight with Indian troops and police in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The gunfight erupted Tuesday night at Heff-Shirmal village in Shopian district, about 62 km south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"The gunfight started last evening and continued until night, following which we halted the operation," a senior police official in Shopian said. "Today morning when the firing resumed between two sides, two militants were killed."

According to the official, the exchange of fire was still going on, which suggested a third militant was in the house.

Officials said troops cordoned off the area following intelligence inputs about presence of militants in the village.

"No sooner we reached near the suspected house, our contingents came under heavy fire, which was duly retaliated, triggering a gunfight," the official said.

Officials said police and troops have not suffered any casualties in the stand-off. The two slain militants were identified as members of Hizbul Mujahideen.

Reports said local residents enraged over the killings had attacked police with brickbats and stones after two militants were killed in a similar gunfight on Saturday.

Two militants, an Indian military officer and a policeman were killed in a similar skirmish in the region last month.

Militant groups are engaged in a guerrilla war with Indian troops since 1989 with intermittent gunfights between the two sides.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two neighbors have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Endi