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Indian army kills three suspected rebels in contested Kashmir
The clash occurred near Dachigam wildlife reserve, just 30 kilometers from Srinagar, amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam attack.
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AFP - Mon, 28, Jul 2025
- 16:16 EDT
- 22
An Indian security force trooper moves past parked vehicles during a cordon and search operation, following an attack on tourists near Pahalgam, in Gudder village of south Kashmir's Kulgam district. / REUTERS/Stringer
Indian security forces killed three suspected armed rebels in Indian-administered Kashmir on July 28 during a clash in a wildlife reserve, the army said.
The incident occurred in the mountains of Dachigam, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the disputed region's main city of Srinagar.
"Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight," the Indian army said in a statement on social media.
"Operation continues," it added, usually a reference to search operations in the forests.
Also read: Defence minister denies India bowed to pressure to end fighting with Pakistan
The incident could not be independently verified by AFP.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbours, which both claim the region in full, have fought two wars and several conflicts over its control.
The incident took place near the major Hindu shrine of Amarnath, to which more than 350,000 people from across India have travelled as part of an ongoing pilgrimage.
The army did not immediately identify those killed, but a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity that they were all "foreigners".
Rebel groups have waged an insurgency against Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir's independence or its merger with Pakistan.
The clash comes more than three months after gunmen attacked tourists in Pahalgam, a popular resort town in the restive territory, killing 26 people, mostly Hindus.
Baijayant Panda, a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, told parliament "it appears that at least one of those eliminated today was involved in the Pahalgam attack".
Security forces have been hunting for the attackers but they remain at large.
India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied, sparking an intense four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides.
India has not made any evidence public about Pakistan's involvement in the April 22 attack.
Clashes between rebels and government forces have drastically reduced during the last five years but many local militants have been killed since the Pahalgam attack.
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