SRINAGAR — Suspected Kashmiri rebels killed two Indian security personnel and wounded two soldiers and a civilian in a fierce gunbattle Thursday in the Himalayan territory, officials said. The fighting started after government forces intercepted two suspected militants taking shelter in Hardshoora, a village in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, police officer K. Rajendran said. Government forces cordoned off the area and exchanged gunfire for several hours with militants holed up in two homes in the village, 35 kms north of Srinagar, the main city in the area, said Col. N.N. Joshi, a Defense Ministry spokesman. One soldier and one policeman were killed in the fighting, police officer Javed Gilani said. The Press Trust of India news agency said the firing stopped after the suspected rebels fled the area. — AP
