Indian soldiers killed three suspected militants in a gun battle on Sunday in Indian-held Kashmir, the army said, as the region reels from weeks of deadly violence between protesters and security forces. The militants were killed in Tangdhar north of the main city of occupied Srinagar after crossing over from the Pakistani side of the heavily militarised border that divides the area between the two countries, it said.
"Three militants were killed in the fight. Three assault rifles were also recovered from the site of the gun battle," army spokesman Colonel N N Joshi told AFP.
The army was trying to determine if the militants were part of the same group that attacked an Indian ammunition depot in the area on Friday, injuring at least three border guards.
Indian held Kashmir has been under curfew since protests erupted over the death last month of a popular young militant leader, Burhan Wani, in a gunfight with security forces.
More than 60 civilians have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, and thousands more injured in the worst violence to hit the Himalayan region since 2010.