Suspected militants kill police officer, family in India-controlled Kashmir

Suspected militants fatally shot a police officer, his wife and their daughter in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said on Monday.

Police said militants 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 in a hospital. Their 23-year-old daughter died in a hospital early Monday.

In a statement, police labelled the incident 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.

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

Most Muslim Kashmiris, who make up the overwhelming majority of the population, support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

New Delhi deems Kashmir militancy 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 government forces have been killed in the conflict.