Indian forces kill 3 militants, civilian in Kashmir

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu Kashmir (AA) - Three militants have been killed in an overnight gun battle with security forces in southern Kashmir, Indian police said Thursday.

S.P. Vaid, director general of police for the Indian-controlled region, said the battle took place in Kakapora, a town around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Srinagar.

A man was later killed when Indian security forces opened fire on a pro-Pakistan and pro-independence protest following funeral prayers for the militants, a local source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

A senior doctor, speaking under similar conditions, identified the civilian as Touseef Hussain, who was shot in the upper body.

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict against Indian rule in Jammu Kashmir since 1989.

The three slain militants were named as Majid Mir, Shariq Ahmad and Irshad Ahmad -- local members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Pakistan, India, the U.S. and EU.

Last Friday, a senior Kashmiri Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, Junaid Mattoo, was killed by Indian forces in an encounter in south Kashmir. Earlier last week, the group killed six police officers in Achabal, police said.

The group was founded in Pakistan in 1987 by Hafiz Sayeed and has been linked to terror attacks such as the 2008 attack on Mumbai in which 164 people were killed.