SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian forces killed three rebels in a raid Thursday on their hideout in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, police said.

Senior police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said two soldiers were also wounded in the raid in Buchoo village.

There was no independent confirmation of the fighting and no militant group immediately issued any comment. The area is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Srinagar, the main city in the region.

Mir said those killed belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest militant group fighting Indian rule in the disputed region.

Nearly a dozen rebel groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed.

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