Indian forces kill 2 Kashmiri militants: Police

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu Kashmir (AA) - Indian armed forces Monday killed two militants believed to have taken shelter in a house in the south of disputed Kashmir, police said.

"Two militants have been killed in a gun battle, while the operation is still in progress," police spokesman, Manoj Pandit, told Anadolu Agency.

A police source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the deceased were locals from south Kashmir.

Meanwhile, scores of young people clashed with Indian forces near the site of the gun battle, a resident of Pulwama said.

"The people were throwing stones and raising pro-independence slogans, hoping to help the besieged militants escape," he told Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity due to security reasons.

Among several injured, two civilians were reportedly admitted to hospital with bullet injuries.

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 which were fought 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.