Gun battle in Indian Kashmir kills five

Indian army intercepted a group of fighetrs trying to cross heavily militarised de-facto border

SRINAGAR, INDIA: An Indian army man and four suspected rebels were killed in a gun battle in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Thursday, an army spokesperson said.

Soldiers intercepted a group of militants trying to cross the heavily militarised de-facto border from Pakistan into India at daybreak, triggering a fierce fire fight, the spokesperson, N. N. Joshi said.

"Four terrorists were killed in the operation and a soldier who was injured in the firefight later succumbed," Joshi told AFP.



"This was the second infiltration bid in three days."

A militant and a soldier were killed on Wednesday in a gun battle in the mountainous region that lasted 24 hours.

Rebel groups have for decades been fighting Indian troops deployed in the region, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians.



Overall violence levels have fallen since the 1990s when militancy was at its peak, but there have been a number of attacks on government forces in recent weeks.