Shootout in Indian-controlled Kashmir kills 2 suspected militants

SRINAGAR, India – Police say Indian law enforcement officers have killed two suspected militants in a gunbattle in the Indian-controlled portion of the disputed Kashmir region.

Area Police Chief Abdul Qayoom says Indian police and paramilitary forces also trapped a third suspected rebel in the shootout Monday in Sopore, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) northwest of Srinagar, the main city in Indian-ruled Kashmir.

The clash erupted less than a week after a police officer was killed in another gunbattle in Sopore. The divided Kashmir region, claimed by both India and Pakistan, has had a surge of violence in recent months as anti-India rebels step up demands for independence or incorporation into Pakistan.

Some 68,000 people have been killed since 1989 in an armed uprising and subsequent crackdown by Indian forces.