Four Indian soldiers, four terrorists dead in Kashmir gun battles

Four Indian soldiers and four terrorists were killed on Tuesday in gunbattles in Kashmir, in the second outbreak of violence between security forces and separatists in three days.

Three soldiers and a militant died in a shootout in North Kashmir's Bandipora district, as a joint army and police team mounted a search following a tip-off that gunmen were in the area, a defence spokesman said. Five soldiers were wounded. "During the searches, militants hiding in a house opened fire, triggering off an encounter," Lieutenant Colonel Rajesh Kalia told Reuters. He said there were no arrests.

Separately, security forces shot dead three terrorists in Handwara district, a senior police official told Reuters. An Indian army officer was also killed in the gunbattle.

Four militants and two Indian soldiers were among seven killed in a gunbattle in South Kashmir on Sunday.