<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Three soldiers were killed in India-administered Kashmir during a gunbattle in the disputed Himalayan territory, the army said Thursday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Two army vehicles were conducting an operation in Rajouri district south of Srinagar, the region’s biggest city, when they were fired upon by rebel forces, a defense spokesperson told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>“Troops sustained 3 fatal and 3 non-fatal casualties,” the spokesperson added.</div><div><br></div><div>Army operations were continuing in the area and further details of the incident were “being ascertained,” they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since both countries gained independence in 1947, with each claiming the high-altitude territory in full.</div><div><br></div><div>The fighting comes just days after India’s top court upheld a 2019 decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to revoke the limited autonomy of the Muslim-majority territory.</div><div><br></div><div>Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.</div><div><br></div><div>The conflict has left tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and militants dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, five Indian soldiers and two suspected rebels were killed in the region.</div><div><br></div><div>India blames Pakistan for backing the militants, a charge Islamabad denies, saying it only supports a Kashmiri struggle for the right to self-determination. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>