SRINAGAR: An Indian soldier and two suspected fighters were killed Friday in a gun battle in northern Indian-held Kashmir as tensions along the de facto border with Pakistan flared again this week.
The Indian army, which maintains a heavy presence in the disputed territory, said that the two separatist rebels had clashed with soldiers in Naidkhai, just north of the main city Srinagar.
“Two terrorists were killed and a soldier was gunned down. Two weapons and a grenade launcher were recovered from the site of the encounter,” Colonel Rajesh Kaia said.
The Indian army resumed its counterinsurgency operations recently after months of mass protests against Indian rule left more than 90 civilians dead and thousands more injured.