Indian army kills 2 suspected Kashmiri rebels
There was no independent confirmation of the fighting.
SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Indian soldiers killed two suspected Kashmiri rebels Saturday after they tried to sneak into the army s main infantry headquarters in the Indian portion of the disputed Himalayan territory, police said.
The army foiled the rebels pre-dawn bid and later killed them in a gunbattle in the Samba region when they tried to flee, senior police officer Danish Rana said. No casualties were reported on the army s side.
There was no independent confirmation of the fighting, which took place close to India s border with Pakistan. The region is 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Srinagar, the main city in the Indian portion of Kashmir.
Suspected rebels targeted government forces for a second straight day. On Friday, they entered an Indian police station in the region. A four-hour gunbattle left two Indian paramilitary soldiers, two militants, one policeman and a civilian dead, police said.
The rebels often attack Indian government forces and other targets in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan. They have been fighting for Kashmir s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989.
An estimated 68,000 people have died in the violence. Although the armed rebellion has been largely suppressed by Indian forces, public resentment against Indian rule remains deep in India s portion of Kashmir and the resistance is now principally expressed through street protests.
