Three separatists killed in Kashmir: Indian Army

This is the third infiltration attempt in the past two weeks

SRINAGAR: The Indian army said it killed three separatists along the disputed border with Pakistan early on Saturday, foiling the third infiltration attempt in the past two weeks.

Read: Four Indian soldiers killed in clashes with Kashmir militants

"Our troops launched an operation after noticing the movement of three separatists near the LoC," said Lieutenant General Subrata Saha, the commanding officer of the 15 Corps in Kashmir in India's north.

"They were challenged by troops deployed there and all three were killed."

The Indian army, which killed 59 separatists near the so called Line of Control (LoC) separating Indian and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir last year, says it has seen a rise in infiltration attempts in recent weeks.

The army killed four militants during a 16-hour gun battle in Kashmir last week.

Read: 'Taliban' pamphlets threatening dreadful consequences surface in Indian Kashmir

India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.

Last year, India's border state of Jammu and Kashmir saw 193 militancy-related fatalities and so far this year, 54 have died, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.