Indian troops kill 3 militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir gunfight

Three militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit were killed Thursday evening in a fierce gunfight with contingents of Indian troops and police in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The gunfight broke out in the morning at village Hajin of Bandipora district, about 36 km north of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"During a day-long gunfight today, three militants were killed and we have recovered their bodies along with three assault rifles from the encounter site," a senior police officer Gareeb Das told reporters.

According to Das, contingents of police and troops cordoned off the locality after receiving intelligence inputs about presence of militants in the area.

"The militants fired on the search party and thereby triggered a gunfight," he said.

Reports said the troops used improvised explosive devices (IED) to blast the house, from where militants were firing on the positions of troops and police.

Last week three LeT militants were killed in Kupwara district in a similar gunfight.

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

A guerilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian- controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between the two sides take place intermittently across the region.

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