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Indian soldier injured, two militants killed in Kashmir shootout

The Indian military says one soldier was injured in the encounter, which occurred in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

By Fred Lambert
A member of Indian security forces patrols a deserted street in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, on March 22, 2000. Indian police on Oct. 4, 2015 said two militants were killed during a firefight in the region's Pulwama district. File photo by str/CC
A member of Indian security forces patrols a deserted street in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, on March 22, 2000. Indian police on Oct. 4, 2015 said two militants were killed during a firefight in the region's Pulwama district. File photo by str/CC | License Photo

SRINAGAR, India, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Indian police said Sunday two militants were killed during a firefight at a village in the Jammu and Kashmir region.

One soldier was injured in the encounter, which occurred during search operations in Hari, a community in the region's Pulwama district.

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Police say the slain fighters, identified as Salim alias Adil Pathan and Rehman alias Burmi, were Pakistani nationals with militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, or "Army of Mohammad," which is based out of Pakistan.

Authorities told Indian Media the men were suspected of recruiting local youth, disrupting last year's elections and planning attacks against local minorities, and that two AK-47 rifles and "war-like stores" -- including a grenade, four magazines and 80 bullets -- were recovered in the operation.

Despite a 2003 cease-fire agreement, the military forces of India and Pakistan are known to frequently trade fire at the Line of Control, a more than 400-mile long border that divides the region of Jammu and Kashmir -- including several instances in recent weeks. India is also known to fight Islamic militants in the area.

On Aug. 11, Indian police and military forces said they killed two militants during a similar operation in the village of Ratanpora, 16 miles south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state.

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One Indian soldier was injured in the shootout, and a spokesman said the militants were members of a group known as Lashkar-e-Toiba, which was implicated in 2008 terror attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai.

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