SRINAGAR, India: Government forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed five suspected militants in a gunbattle on Thursday, the Indian military said.
\nSoldiers and police launched a joint operation after receiving a tip that rebels were hiding in a village in southern Kulgam district, the military said in a statement. The militants opened \u201cindiscriminate and heavy volumes of fire\u201d at the raiding troops, leading to a gunbattle, it said.
\nFive militants were killed in the fighting, the statement said, adding that two soldiers were also injured. Troops continued to search the area. There was no independent confirmation of the battle.
\nIndia and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
\nMilitants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi\u2019s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels\u2019 goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
\nIndia insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SRINAGAR, India: Government forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed five suspected militants in a gunbattle on Thursday, the Indian military said. Soldiers and police launched a joint operation after receiving a tip that rebels were hiding in a village in southern Kulgam district, the military said in a statement. The militants opened \u201cindiscriminate and heavy volumes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-450366","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n