Indian troops killed in Kashmir
May 24, 2013
Suspected rebels ambushed and fatally shot three Indian army soldiers on Friday 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Srinagar, the main city in the Indian portion of Kashmir, a police official said.
The soldiers were reportedly searching for militants during a patrol when they were ambushed, said army spokesman Lt. Col. Ankur Vashist.
Rebel groups have fought Indian security forces in Kashmir since 1989 for independence of the region or a merger with Pakistan.
The region is claimed by both countries and is divided along a UN-monitored line of control. Two wars, and countless skirmishes, have left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.
The incident came one day after government forces killed a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic militant group, during an early morning gun battle.
hc/rc (AFP, AP)