Security forces battle militants in Kashmir

Indian security forces on Sunday battled at two places in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district militants who sneaked into the country from Pakistan. One Indian soldier has been killed.

The fighting was reported at Tangdhar and Trehgam sectors, around 10 km apart, along the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

The first gun battle at Tangdhar has been on since late Saturday, leaving one soldier dead and three others injured, a defence ministry spokesman told IANS here.

The slain soldier was identified as Bashir Ahmad. He was the first to notice militants on the Indian side of the LoC on Saturday. The intruders fired at him, and he succumbed to his injuries.

The second gunfight started at the Trehgam sector on Sunday, said the spokesman.

"Alert soldiers challenged a group of heavily armed terrorists on our side of the LoC today afternoon following which a gun battle is going on," he added.

The winding LoC divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Islamabad holds the northern third of the state while New Delhi controls the southern two-third.