3 militants killed in disputed Kashmir: Indian source

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Three militants and an Indian army soldier were killed in northern Kashmir along the de facto border between India and Pakistan on Thursday, according to an Indian army source.

According to a senior army official, three heavily armed militants were killed in the Naugam sector of the Kupwara area as the Indian army foiled the third major infiltration bid in less than two weeks along the de facto border.

The official, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity, confirmed the death of an Indian soldier in the gun battle.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

The two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – since they were partitioned in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.

Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan. More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.