Indian police say 4 suspected rebels killed in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India – Four suspected militants were killed and two Indian police officers were wounded Thursday in a gunfight in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

Police Inspector-General Mukesh Singh told reporters that the shooting erupted on the outskirts of the city of Jammu and lasted three hours.

Police said suspected rebels in a truck fired at a checkpoint on the main highway linking Jammu and Srinagar. Security forces returned fire.

Police said they were verifying the identities of those killed.

Traffic on the busy highway was stopped by the police.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, and both claim the region in its entirety.

Insurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels. Pakistan says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to insurgents.