3 rebels killed in gunbattles in Indian Kashmir

Security forces killed three suspected Islamic rebels in two separate gunbattles in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Monday. Two militants were killed in a gunbattle with soldiers in Mej village, 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state, said local police officer Sardar Khan. Soldiers cordoned off a house in the village Sunday evening after receiving a tip that suspected militants were hiding there. The two rebels were killed in the gunfight that ensued, Khan said. No casualties were reported among the soldiers. In a separate attack, one militant was killed after army soldiers closed in on a rebel hide-out in Semson village, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Srinagar, said area Police Chief Swayam Prakash Pani.