Indian troops kill 2 militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir gunfight

Two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit were killed and an Indian policeman wounded Tuesday in a gunfight in Indian- controlled Kashmir, police said.

The gunfight broke out Monday evening when joint contingents of Indian army, paramilitary and police cordoned off village Ratanpora in district Pulwama, about 26 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Two militants have been gunned down in a gunfight that continued throughout the day today," a police spokesman said. " While fighting these militants, a policeman was also wounded."

According to spokesman, the slain militants were local cadres of LeT and active in the area for quite some time.

LeT outfit is accused of carrying out a terror attack on India' s financial capital Mumbai in 2008 that claimed 166 lives.

Another member of the outfit was killed in an adjoining village in the district last week in a similar gunfight.

As the gunfight was under way, dozens of young men threw stones and brickbats on the government forces in a bid to end their cordon and help militants escape, a police official said.

The policemen and troops fired tear gas shells and warning shots to disperse the protesters.

Reports said several people including some policemen were injured in the clashes.

Police and Indian army officials said the operation was carried out on specific intelligence inputs about presence of militants in the area.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. The gunfight between the two sides takes place intermittently across the region. Endi