SRINAGAR, India — On Saturday, officials reported that two suspected militants were killed during a clash with government forces in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir. The encounter occurred in the Anantnag district, which is situated in the southern part of the territory.

India’s military detailed in a statement that soldiers engaged a group of militants in a forested area, resulting in the death of the two suspected rebels during the firefight.

In a separate incident in Srinagar, the main city of the region, police alongside paramilitary forces exchanged gunfire with at least one militant. This skirmish occurred after troops cordoned off a particular neighborhood upon receiving information regarding the militant’s alleged location within a residence.

Local residents reported that the armed forces set fire to the house where the militant was believed to be hiding, a tactic frequently used by Indian military forces in this contentious region. However, the claims regarding the incident have not been independently verified.

Kashmir is a divided territory, with India and Pakistan both controlling portions, while each nation claims the entirety. Since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947, these two nuclear nations have engaged in numerous conflicts over the region, with two out of their three wars directly related to the territorial dispute.

Militancy has persisted in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir since 1989, as numerous Muslim Kashmiris support the insurgents’ aspirations to either unify the region with Pakistan or seek complete independence. New Delhi maintains that the insurgency in Kashmir is driven by terrorism supported by Pakistan. Conversely, Pakistan refutes these allegations, and many individuals in Kashmir perceive the armed struggle as a legitimate fight for freedom.

The ongoing conflict has led to the death of tens of thousands, including civilians, insurgents, and government personnel, underscoring the prolonged and complex nature of the dispute over Kashmir.