SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Rebels fighting against Indian rule in disputed Kashmir attacked a paramilitary post on Saturday, killing three soldiers and wounding two others, an Indian official said.
At least two militants on a motorbike opened gunfire at the post in the northwestern Sopore area on Saturday evening, said Pankaj Singh, an Indian paramilitary spokesman. He said three soldiers were killed on the spot and two others were wounded in the attack.
The attackers fled after spraying bullets at the post, Singh said.
Counterinsurgency police and soldiers launched search operations in the area to try to nab the attackers.
No rebel group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Despite a stringent lockdown by authorities to combat the coronavirus, India has continued its counterinsurgency operations across Kashmir. Militants also have not ceased their attacks on government forces and alleged government informants.
Saturday’s attack also comes amid near daily fighting between Pakistani and Indian soldiers along the highly militarized frontier that divides Kashmir between the two rivals.
India and Pakistan claim the divided territory of Kashmir in its entirety. Most Kashmiris support the rebel cause that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.
Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
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