10 killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir

 At least 10 people including three Indian troopers and four civilians were killed Thursday in an ongoing fierce gunfight between Indian military personnel and militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir, close to India-Pakistan border.
The gunfight broke out in the morning after heavily armed militants entered a military bunker in Arnia sub sector, about 45 km southwest of Jammu city, the winter capital of Indian- controlled Kashmir.
Following their entry, officials said, one group of the militants engaged Indian troops into a gunfight; the other split group took refuge in a house and targeted military positions.
"10 people have been killed today after militants attacked an army post," Lt Col Manish Mehta told Xinhua. "The dead include three militants, four civilians and three troopers also laid down their lives fighting the militants."
Among the slain troops was a junior level military officer.
The area was cordoned off since morning, police said.
According to India's official broadcaster All India Radio (AIR), apart from 10 dead in the gunfight, four troopers wounded in the stand-off were undergoing treatment in hospitals.
Reports pouring in from the area said the gunfight was underway as some more militants are believed to be holed up in the abandoned bunker.
The Indian military has rushed reinforcements and heavy machine guns to take on the militants, officials said.
Locals told Xinhua that they heard the sound of heavy gunfire from a distance and saw an Indian helicopter hovering above the place.
Authorities said they have evacuated civilians from the area.
The attack has come at a time when prime ministers of India and Pakistan were attending a two-day 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit at Nepal capital Kathmandu to boost trade in their regional neighborhood.
"Some things will never change, SAARC summit is on, India and Pakistan PMs at the same venue and a fierce encounter (gunfight) breaks out in Jammu," Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Indian- controlled Kashmir wrote on twitter.
Militants challenging New Delhi's rule in the restive region are fighting a guerrilla war with Indian troops since 1989. Gunfight between the militants and Indian troops takes place intermittently.
Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
Last month deadly skirmishes took place between troops of India and Pakistan posted along the 720 km-long Line of Control (LoC) and 198 km-long International Border (IB) in Kashmir. The two sides suffered 21 casualties (nine on Indian side and 12 on Pakistani side) during the stand-off.