Indian military kills 3 infiltrators on Kashmir LoC

Indian military Sunday claimed it has killed three infiltrators during a gunfight near Line of Control (LoC) in restive Kashmir.

The gunfight, according to Indian military, broke out in Keran sector of frontier Kupwara district, about 130 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Our alert troops today killed three intruders in Keran sector near LoC," a senior Indian military official said. "The gunfight triggered after our troops deployed in the area observed some suspicious human movement."

The gunfight in the area lasted for couple of hours, reports said.

According to military spokesman, Indian troops have not suffered any damage while fighting these intruders.

"Search of the area undertaken at the break of dawn today resulted in recovery of three bodies of the slain militants along with three assault rifles and huge ammunition," the spokesman said. "Identification and group affiliation of the slain militants is yet to be carried out."

Indian military officials said the militants attempted to cut fencing on LoC and cross over.

However, no independent confirmation could be made about the gunfight owing to remoteness of the area.

Earlier this month, Indian police said three infiltrators and an Indian military trooper were killed in Uri sector of Baramulla district in a similar gunfight.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. The gunfight between the two sides takes place intermittently across the region.

New Delhi blames Islamabad for infiltrating militants into Indian-controlled Kashmir. However, Islamabad denies the charge saying it only provides moral and political support to Kashmiris.