Two militants and an Indian army trooper were killed and two troopers wounded Tuesday in a fierce gunfight between them in Indian- controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The gunfight broke out Tuesday morning in village Haril Manzpora-Handawara of frontier Kupwara district, around 100 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian- controlled Kashmir.

"Two militants and an army trooper were killed in a gunfight with army troopers in Handwara today," said a police spokesman " The gunfight triggered after troops cordoned off the area to take on militants present there."

Indian army spokesman in Srinagar Col. Brijesh Panday said two troopers were also wounded fighting militants in the area. The wounded troopers were immediately hospitalized, he said.

The gunfight in the area is going on intermittently and the operation to trace militants is underway.

"We have rushed in reinforcements to the area," said Panday.

Police also claims recovery of two assault rifles and some ammunition from the gunfight site. However, the identity of the slain militants is being ascertained.

Kashmir a disputed Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan by a de facto border called line-of-control (LoC). Both India and Pakistan claim the region in full. Since their independence from British, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

Police and Defense officials maintain that most of the times the operations triggering gunfights are carried out on prior information about presence of militants in specific areas.

A guerrilla war is also going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in region since 1989.