SRINAGAR: Two suspected rebels and a civilian were killed in a fierce gunbattle in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, an Indian security official said Friday.

Central Reserve Police Force Inspector General Nalin Prabhat said the clash began Thursday and raged all night.

He said the civilian was hit in the crossfire and succumbed to his injuries. However, local residents said civilians began throwing stones at the troops, who responded with shots, killing one of them.

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There was no independent confirmation of the incident and no immediate comment from rebel groups fighting Indian rule.

Kashmir has been wracked for decades by a deadly conflict stemming from a restive population that wants to either secede from India or join Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan claim the region in its entirety, although it's divided between them.

About 68,000 people have been killed in the region since 1989 in an armed uprising and Indian military crackdown. While the armed rebellion has largely been suppressed, anti-India resentment still runs deep in Kashmir and is mainly expressed through street protests.