Kashmir gun battle leaves 3 troopers, 2 rebels dead

At least five persons including two rebels, two soldiers and a police officer, were killed during a fierce encounter in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Tuesday.The incident happened in Zumreshi village of Kupwara district, some 130 kilometres northwest of the capital Srinagar, when Indian army assisted with police laid siege of a rebel hideout in dense forest, the police said."When the contact was established with the militants, they opened heavy fire with automatic rifles on security forces," police said, adding, "The fire was returned which resulted in heavy exchange of fire between the two sides".The police said, the fierce gunfight, which lasted for hours, resulted in killing of three troopers and two rebels. They further stated the searches were going on in the area to look for more rebels.In a separate incident, rebels opened fire on a police cop in Anantnag district of Kashmir, some 55 Km''''s south of summer capital Srinagar, due to which he sustained critical injuries, police said, adding, the cop is in critical condition while rebels managed to snatch an automatic rifle from his possession before fleeing from the spot.Authorities have already stepped up security across the Indian controlled Kashmir in view of the parliamentary polls which are scheduled to be held between April 10 and May 7 in five stages.Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which claim the region, but rule it in part. They have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.According to human rights organizations, the separatist gureillas have waged a war against the Indian rule since 1989 which has claimed lives of more than 70, 000 people.