Indian troops have shot dead three suspected rebels in Kashmir, just hours after gunmen opened fire on a military convoy and an ambulance, the army reported on Tuesday.
Kashmir, which has a Muslim majority, has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and has been the site of a long-standing insurgency.
The gunmen targeted the army convoy in the early hours of Monday in the mountainous Akhnoor region, close to the unofficial border with Pakistan.
In response, soldiers initiated a search for the attackers and confirmed that three militants had been killed.
“After round-the-clock surveillance throughout the night, an intense firefight unfolded this morning resulting in a significant victory for our forces,” the army’s White Knight Corps said in a statement.
“Relentless operations and tactical excellence has led to the elimination of three terrorists.”
Over 500,000 Indian soldiers are stationed in Kashmir, fighting an insurgency that has resulted in the death of tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and militants since 1989.
Recently, gunmen fatally shot seven individuals near a construction site for a key road tunnel leading to Ladakh, a high-altitude region adjacent to China.
On Friday, Indian authorities reported that five individuals, including three soldiers, lost their lives in an attack on an army convoy.
New Delhi frequently accuses Pakistan of providing support to the militants and facilitating their attacks, a claim that Islamabad rejects.
The military states that more than 720 militants have been killed since the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revoked the region’s limited autonomy in 2019.
