Clashes between security forces and militants in Indian-administered Kashmir killed three suspected rebel fighters on Wednesday, the army said.
An army statement said two fighters were killed following intermittent exchanges of fire with soldiers that began on Tuesday in Basantgarh, in the southern part of the disputed territory.
The militants had hidden inside a natural cave before soldiers used explosives to blow it up, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Separately, a third suspected rebel was killed in the high-altitude Kishtwar area, where troops were searching for a group of fighters reportedly sighted in the Himalayan forests since last week, the army said.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the territory in full.
Rebel groups have waged an insurgency against Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir’s independence or its merger with Pakistan.
India blames Pakistan for arming and training the rebels, allegations Islamabad denies.
The conflict has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.
