By Zahid Rafiq
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – Three militants and an Indian Army soldier were killed in an overnight gunbattle in the Bandipora district in northern Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army said on Saturday.
“Three terrorists were killed in the operation in the Danna forests in Bandipora. The operation is now over,” Lt. Co.l Rajesh Kalia said in a statement.
The army also confirmed the death of one of its soldiers in the gunbattle.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars — in 1948, 1965 and 1971 — two of them over Kashmir.
Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
