Three separatists were killed in a gun battle with troops in India-held Kashmir early on Sunday, police said.
\nCounterinsurgency police and soldiers staged an early morning raid on a cluster of homes in southern Khudwani village on a tip that separatists were hiding there and came under fire, said top police officer S.P. Vaid. In the ensuing fighting, three separatists were killed while troops suffered no casualties, he said.
\nResidents said the raiding troops torched two houses where the separatists were trapped.
\nThe fighting came a day after separatists abducted and killed a police official in the same area.
\nIn recent years, local police working with India\u2019s counterinsurgency forces have increasingly been targeted by the separatists, who accuse them of being collaborators.
\nKashmiris have been fighting Indian control over the disputed Himalayan region since 1989, demanding that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or recognised as an independent country.
\nMost Kashmiris support the cause while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control over their region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three separatists were killed in a gun battle with troops in India-held Kashmir early on Sunday, police said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c102-muslim-minorities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n