Five dead in occupied Kashmir gunbattle

SRINAGAR: Four suspected militants and a soldier were killed early Thursday in occupied Kashmir in a gun battle near the de facto border with Pakistan, the second incident in 24 hours, a police officer said.
Police sealed off a forested area in northern Handwara overnight on suspicion militants were moving towards a village, triggering a 10-hour gun battle between government forces and rebels.
“The militants were engaged near a stream in the forested area. All four of them were killed and we also lost a soldier in the firefight,” deputy inspector general of police for the area, Gharib Das, told AFP, adding that two soldiers were injured.
So-called encounters between troops and militants have increased recently in the troubled region, with four suspected militants killed and another captured during a day-long battle last week.