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India troops die in Kashmir clash India troops die in Kashmir clash
(about 2 hours later)
An Indian army captain and two soldiers have been killed in a prolonged encounter with militants in Indian-administered Kashmir. India says three of its soldiers have been killed in clashes with militants in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Clashes began early on Tuesday morning in the Chinkipora area in Sopore town, 54km (33 miles) north of Srinagar city.Clashes began early on Tuesday morning in the Chinkipora area in Sopore town, 54km (33 miles) north of Srinagar city.
Indian border guards in Kashmir said they came under fire from Pakistan on Wednesday, a day before the two neighbours meet for talks. Indian border guards in Kashmir said they came under fire from Pakistan on Wednesday, a claim denied by Islamabad.
They are the first formal discussions since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The two nuclear-armed neighbours are due to meet for talks in Delhi on Thursday - the first formal discussions since the 2008 Mumbai (Bombay) attacks.
"The firing from across the border started early morning. A BSF (Border Security Force) personnel was injured," Vinod Sharma, a spokesman for the border guards, told the Reuters news agency.
The shooting took place in the Samba area in the southern part of Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Kashmir dispute has been at the centre of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan and the cause of two of their three wars since independence from British rule in 1947.The Kashmir dispute has been at the centre of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan and the cause of two of their three wars since independence from British rule in 1947.
'Tough fight''Tough fight'
A defence spokesman told the BBC that troops on Tuesday laid siege to a militant hideout after receiving a tip-off. The operation is still continuing. Thousands of Indian troops are fighting a two decade-old separatist insurgency in Kashmir.
The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says these are the highest casualties suffered by Indian forces in an operation in the disputed territory so far this year.
Hundreds of thousands of troops are based in KashmirHundreds of thousands of troops are based in Kashmir
Thousands of troops are fighting a two decade-old insurgency in Kashmir. A police officer told the BBC that the militants were armed with grenade launchers and other sophisticated weapons and were putting up a tough fight in Sopore.
The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says these are the highest casualties suffered by the Indian forces in an operation in Kashmir so far this year. Fighting continued until late on Tuesday and the military operation resumed on Wednesday morning, although there have been no reports of firing so far.
The operation was launched jointly by the army, paramilitary troops and police. Wednesday's shooting further south in Indian-administered Kashmir is alleged to have taken place in the Samba area.
The militants fired at the security forces when they were asked to surrender. "The firing from across the border started early morning. A BSF [Border Security Force] personnel was injured," Vinod Sharma, a spokesman for the border guards, told Reuters news agency.
The area was cordoned off and a heavy gun battle began. Nadeem Raza, a spokesman for Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers, told Reuters: "Our troops were not involved in any firing. There may be some problem on their own side."
A police officer told the BBC that the militants were armed with grenade launchers and sophisticated weapons and put up a tough fight. Talks
The fighting continued till late at night and the operation began again on Wednesday morning, although there has been no firing so far. The foreign secretaries of the two countries will meet on Thursday in the Indian capital.
A defence spokesman said the troops were treading carefully because there may be more militants hiding in the area. SOUTIK BISWAS'S INDIA India and Pakistan are not two ordinary sparring neighbours - they are nuclear-armed estranged siblings with a history of three wars, brinkmanship and endless sniping class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/soutikbiswas/2010/02/why_india_and_pakistan_must_talk.html">Read Soutik's blog
The foreign secretaries of the two nuclear-armed countries will meet on Thursday for talks which correspondents say could eventually pave the way for the resumption of the formal peace process broken off after the 2008 Mumbai strike that killed 174 people. Correspondents say the talks could eventually pave the way for the resumption of the formal peace process broken off after the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 174 people were killed, nine of them gunmen.
There has been a spate of clashes in the past few months along the Line of Control that separates Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. India says that the attacks were carried out by Pakistan-based militants.
Pakistan wants to put disagreements over river waters at the top of the talks agenda along with the Kashmir dispute. There has been a spate of clashes in the past few months along the Line of Control that separates Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan wants to discuss a range of issues, including water and boundary disputes, as well as Kashmir.
But Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Monday that Indian concerns about militant groups based in Pakistan would form the main focus of the talks with her Pakistani counterpart.But Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Monday that Indian concerns about militant groups based in Pakistan would form the main focus of the talks with her Pakistani counterpart.