Gunfight rages as India intercepts drones over Kashmir army base

Suspected rebels have shot dead a police officer, his wife and their daughter in India-administered Kashmir, authorities said, while as Indian army intercepted two drones flying over an army base and a gun battle raged in main Srinagar city in powder keg Himalayan region.

Police said anti-India rebels entered officer Fayaz Ahmad's home in the southern Tral area late on Sunday and fired indiscriminately at those inside.

Ahmad was killed immediately, while his wife died a few hours later at a hospital. Their 23-year-old daughter died at a hospital early on Monday.

In a statement, police called it a "terror attack."

Ahmad was a so-called special police officer, a lower-ranked police official recruited mainly for intelligence gathering and counterinsurgency operations. 

His son works in the Indian military's counterinsurgency unit.

READ MORE: SPOs - The dark underbelly of India's security system in Kashmir

Srinagar gun battle

Meanwhile, a gun battle between Indian forces and rebels raged on Monday in Srinagar, the region's main city. 

Police said Indian forces surrounded a neighbourhood in the city on a tip that rebels were there. 

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989.

Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

New Delhi deems the Kashmir revolt to be Pakistan-sponsored "terrorism." Pakistan denies the charge, and most Kashmiris call it a legitimate freedom struggle.

Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and Indian forces have been killed in the three-decade conflict.

READ MORE: Modi meets Kashmir unionists first time after India annexes region

High alert after drones spotted over base

Also on Monday, India's military said it thwarted a major threat when it intercepted two drones flying over an army base, a day after suspected explosives-laden drones were used to attack an air base in the disputed region.

The military said troops around midnight spotted two drones separately flying over Kaluchak military base on the outskirts of Jammu city.

"Immediately, high alert was sounded and Quick Reaction Teams engaged them with firing," the military said in a statement. "Both the drones flew away."

Search operations in the area were launched, the statement said, adding that troops remained on high alert.

On Sunday, Indian officials said two drones carrying explosives were used to attack an air base in Jammu city and called it the first such incident of its kind in India.

READ MORE: India suspects drones used to attack base in disputed Kashmir

READ MORE: Palestine or Shangri-La: Which way will Kashmir drift?