Indian police patrol on a street in Srinagar on February 10, 2013. PHOTO: AFP
The three were killed after heavy firing erupted between security forces and rebels on Monday afternoon at Handwara, a village in a forest 90 kilometres from Srinagar, a local officer said.
Four officers from the police special operations group were injured in the gunbattle that broke out near the heavily militarised border that divides the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan.
"We had specific inputs about the presence of three militants in the area. All three were killed in the encounter," inspector general of police Abdul Gani Mir told AFP.
The deaths come after suspected militants shot dead a counter-insurgency police officer who was on patrol at a market just outside Srinagar on Monday.
About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for Kashmir's independence or for its merger with Pakistan.
The fighting has left tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, dead.
Tuesday's incident follows weeks of sporadic firing across the disputed frontier, which has been among the heaviest since a ceasefire agreement in 2003.
COMMENTS (39)
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Traitors should leave India. The Kashmiri pandits should go back to Kashmir the land of Kashyap muni and Srinagar-the city of Lakshmi -the goddess of wealth and she is kolasura bhayankari- destroyer of devils and demons! We love the people of Kashmir but if any one wants to destroy the peace here are welcome to leave!
@Syed Jalal Kashmiri: Does your cult prohibit you from telling the truth?
Indian soldiers kill 3 Kashmiri children, then as usual, cover it up by claiming they are militants. How much more patience will we Kashmiris have for this injustice? Shame on these barbaric animals.
@Kashmiri: with criteria Baloch fighters and TTP are also freedom fighters.
@Saud Kashmiri: You are confused. What you describe is what you Pakistanis consider normal. Just look at the mayhem in Karachi, KP, even Rawalpindi. There is no other country in the world where such atrocities are acceptable. Do not denigrate Islam.
@Indian News Stories: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmiri_Pandit
Here you go. Also people being driven out of their one's is a tragedy. Not something hat any decent person would actually boast about.
@saad: Your sentences starts with "haha" .... an absolute sign of mental instability which usually comes from inferiority complex.
@Indian News Stories: "According to a number of authors, approximately 100,000 of the total Kashmiri Pandit population of 140,000 left the valley during that decade.[39] Other authors have suggested a higher figure for the exodus, ranging from the entire population of over 150[40] to 190 thousand (1.5 to 190,000) of a total Pandit population of 200 thousand (200,000)[41] to a number as high as 300 thousand[42] (300,000)". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir#1947and1948
It is because of Pakistan that all muslims are suspected of being terrorists. Pakistan has given a bad name to Islam.
@Np: Hundreds of thousands? Wow - care to share a reference? Or boasting is the newly accepted criteria?
@saad: Of course these jihadis have killed innocent civilians. Why do you suppose hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their homes?
@Groundhog: Not all freedom fighters go on murderous frenzies killing innocent citizens. Secondly, more than likely, those that were killed we're not even Kashmiris but rather jihadis armed, trained and funded by Pakistan as part of its well documented policy of strategic depth.
@saad:
Kashmir police is made up of local Kashmir people majority if them are muslims! Get your facts correct!
So the "rebels" who kill ten people in Karachi on an average day are freedom fighters. The mullahs who promote violence in Pakistan are national heroes. What a crazy nation.
@Kashmiri: so better die or move to land of pure and join them in begging mission.
@Saud Kashmiri: Coming from epicenter of terrorism? you first stop begging.Have your PM come back to Pakistan or he is still abroad begging?
@saad: You worry about Baluchistan where your army is killing innocent muslim . You call them terrorist. You looted their wealth.Shed tears for them
'Suspected Rebel'..... Pathetic terminology by ET. On one hand pakistan itself is suffering badly from terrorism and on other hand supporting terrorism in Kashmir by using its institutions like media. This ambiguous stand on terrorism is rather a big reason for their present condition. Perhaps pakistanis think separating kashmir from india would be as easy as getting a piece of land and naming it pakistan.But they should not forget that partition was only a method of getting rid of a group of some blind, brainwashed people who would have anyway created troubles here (as they are doing today in pakistan). Partition, though was a sad event,but has served us a lot.But regarding Kashmir, pakistan can dream for 1000 more years, as one of your leader urged you in past, but reality would never change.
3 terrorists got killed in months in entire state of kashmir and it makes the news, tens of innocent people get killed in just one day in karachi and no one cares. Oh the irony
@Saud Kashmiri: worry about slums in pakistan....40% urban pakistan lives in those slums...... forget kashmir... karachi and balochistan to fall out soon :)
what ever you can call rebel , freedom fighter blah blah . As per world community they are terrorist . And whole world know's that your goverment is behind this . Terrorist are like snake if you will keep as pet one day it will bite you back whoever it is . That's is the thing now happening in your country . Including yesterday ET NEWS centre attack.
Kashmir is not a land of only Kashmirs Muslims. There were Kashmir Pundits who were killed or were chased out by militants and rebels. Let me make this pretty clear, India is not Pakistan. We haven't sold our sovereignty to US and security to Taliban. Separating Kashmir from India is more tougher a dream than separating Washington from US. You will have to probably nuke New delhi and kill every single Indian for it. If you can do that, then well, best of luck! These Kashmir youth are brainwashed, they need to understand that we could have forcefully captured and drove the insurgents out like we did with Khalistanis, or do what China did with Tibet. But we choosed to install a democratic setup there. Kasmir doesn't belong to Pak, nor India. Kashmir belong to Kashmirs. And Maharaja of kashmir had accepted to be a part of Indian Union. Umpire decision is last decision. So it's an inseparable part of India. UN plebiscite doesn't hold it's meaning now as it's unfair not having Kashmiri Pundits there. US and Russia willl not go against India. China cannot risk $100 B trade and hence will remain neutral. Israel is your enemy. A nuclear war will probably erase both of us out of map. It's impossible brothers. Really impossible.
Militancy in Kashmir has almost died down as few locals participate or even support the militants pushed across the LoC. Most of the Pakistani militants are eliminated by the vigilant Indian security forces while crossing the LoC and others in encounters, like one happened today.
These militants have ethnically cleansed us native Kashmiri Pandits systematically out of our homeland over years. The Army has done a fantastic job here. Maybe one day it might be safe to return.
Those who fighting for independence are freedom fighters not rebels. Get you facts right,
FREE KASHMIR from these hindu extremists. We will die but not live under their rules.
SUSPECTED REBELS: Have turned out to be 3 year old kids and 15 year old girls in the past. Wonder, what will be this time. Terrorist hindu extremist country committing genocide in Kashmir instead of building toilets in their slums in mumbai.
Rebel ? - you mean the non state actor from Pakistan( adopted sons of ISI / army)
@Factcheck hahahah really by un and by the whole world hahahaha dude have reality check these rebels are from kashmir and are not terrorist freedom fighters because their loves one were killed by your army which only kills innocent people. Last time i check world doesn't consider jammu kashmir as part of india hahahah so stop calling kashmir as integral part of india when its not its forcibly occupied state by indian army forces in 1947.
Now pls handover these 3 bodies to zoo keepers.
Kudos to the Police.