Asia

Indian soldiers kill 2 Kashmir militants in 3-day standoff

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Indian policemen watch from distance at the government building where suspected militants have taken refuge during a gun battle in Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016. Handful of rebels holed up in a building in the Indian portion of Kashmir exchanged fire with government forces for the third straight day on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (The Associated Press)

Indian Army soldiers take position outside the government building where suspected militants had taken refuge during a gun battle in Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016. The Indian army says a three-day standoff between its soldiers and suspected rebels in Indian-controlled Kashmir has ended with the killing of two militants. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) (The Associated Press)

Indian army soldiers use ladder to enter the government building where suspected militants have taken refuge during a gun battle in Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir,Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016. A handful of rebels holed up in a building in the Indian portion of Kashmir exchanged fire with government forces for the third straight day on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (The Associated Press)

The Indian army says a three-day standoff between its soldiers and suspected rebels in Indian-controlled Kashmir has ended with the killing of two militants.

Army officer Maj. Gen. Ashok Narula said the fighting ended Wednesday near saffron-rich Pampore town on the outskirts of the disputed region's main city of Srinagar.

The rebels had taken positions inside a building in a sprawling government compound. The multistory building was extensively damaged.

A soldier and a police official were injured in the initial fighting on Monday.

Kashmir is experiencing its largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, sparked by the killing in July of a popular rebel commander by Indian soldiers.

The protests, and a sweeping military crackdown, have nearly paralyzed daily life.