Five militants killed north of Kashmir: Indian army

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu Kashmir

Five militants were killed as the Indian army foiled two separate infiltration attempts from across the de facto border with Pakistan north of disputed Jammu Kashmir on Monday, an army official said.

Three militants were killed in Tangdhar sector in Kupwara district and two others were killed in a gunfight in Rampur sector in Uṛi in another infiltration bid in Baramulla district, Srinagar-based defense spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.

Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu-Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.