Two Indian army officers and nine militants were killed in Indian-held Kashmir in the bloodiest gunbattle in the region in months, Reuters quoted an Indian Army spokesman as saying Wednesday. The fighting began on Tuesday near the forests of Tangmarg when soldiers cordoned off a village and asked militants believed to be hiding there to surrender. The rebels opened fire, triggering a fierce gunbattle, the army said. “The exchange of fire has stopped, soldiers are searching the area,” army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Anil K Mathur said.
One officer was killed immediately while four soldiers, including an officer and a civilian, were wounded in the gunfight that followed, Mathur said. Police said they recovered the bodies of nine suspected rebels.