Six killed in Kashmir violence

INDIA: Six people were killed in two separate clashes in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir between the Indian military and suspected Islamic separatists, the army said Monday.

A large force from the Indian army cordoned off the village of Gambru late Sunday after receiving a tip that several militants had gathered there, said army spokesman Col. Heman Juneja.

As they approached two houses, the troops came under fire, starting a night-long gunbattle that ended at dawn Monday. One soldier and one suspected militant were killed, Juneja said.

Three soldiers were wounded, one of them was in critical condition, he said. The soldiers were still searching the area for other gunmen. Also, Indian troops identified a group of suspected militants crossing the so-called Line of Control, the de facto border between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir, late Sunday. In the ensuing fight four of the infiltrators were killed, Juneja said.

Srinagar, Monday, AP