Shootout in Indian-controlled Kashmir kills 2 suspected militants
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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.
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Some 68,000 people have been killed since 1989 in an armed uprising and subsequent crackdown by Indian forces.