Police officer killed in Kashmir clashes

Two suspected armed fighters and a police officer have been killed in clashes in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir, police have said.

Police officer Manoj Panditha says one Indian soldier was also wounded in the fighting late on Monday in the southern village of Dodhiporao.

Panditha said on Tuesday that police believe the fighters belonged to the Pakistan-based armed group Lashkar-e-Taiba, but there has been no independent confirmation.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.

About 68,000 people have been killed since 1989 in an armed rebellion against Indian rule and in an ensuing Indian crackdown that has largely crushed the fighters.

India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels, a charge Islamabad denies.