India kills three Kashmiris as ceasefire holds

Three Kashmiri men were killed in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Tuesday in a gunbattle with soldiers, the army said, the first since an attack on tourists last month brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

The clash happened after the army's special counter-insurgency force received information that fighters were in Keller forest in the southern Kashmir valley.

The site is around 65 kilometres from Pahalgam, where gunmen last month killed 26 people, mostly male Hindu tourists, sparking the worst fighting between India and Pakistan since 1999.

A "search and destroy Operation" was launched leading to a clash, the Indian army said on X.

"During the operation, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce firefight ensued, which resulted in elimination of three hardcore terrorists," it said.