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Three suspected militants were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday during a fierce gunfight with Indian soldiers, the army said — marking the first such encounter since a recent deadly attack on tourists heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
According to a statement from the Indian Army, troops from a specialised counter-insurgency unit launched a “search and destroy operation” in the Keller forest area of south Kashmir after receiving intelligence about militant presence.
“During the operation, terrorists opened heavy fire and a fierce firefight ensued, which resulted in the elimination of three hardcore terrorists,” the army posted on social media platform X.
The violence comes amid renewed hostilities between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, following an attack on 22 April in the resort town of Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists. India blamed Pakistan for orchestrating the assault, a claim Islamabad strongly denied.
The aftermath of that attack saw a series of rapid diplomatic escalations, culminating in India launching airstrikes on alleged militant camps within Pakistani territory and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated with sustained artillery and drone strikes. The cross-border exchange lasted four days, with nearly 70 casualties reported on both sides before a truce was agreed on Saturday.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region, has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both countries claim the territory in full but administer it in parts.
An armed rebellion against Indian rule has gripped the region since 1989, with militant groups seeking either independence or a merger with Pakistan. The decades-long insurgency has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, security personnel, and rebels.
Since the Indian government revoked Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in 2019 and brought it under direct rule, militant attacks against Indian security forces have surged, intensifying regional instability.
India has consistently accused Pakistan of fuelling the insurgency by providing arms and training to militants — allegations Pakistan denies, asserting instead that it offers only diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people’s demand for self-determination.
India and Pakistan have fought two full-scale wars over Kashmir, with the latest clashes representing the most serious flare-up between the two nations since their conflict in 1999.
