SRINAGAR: Two Indian soldiers and at least four insurgents were killed in two separate gunbattles in Indian-administered Kashmir over the weekend, an army spokesman said Sunday.
A daylong battle with a group of rebels Sunday left four insurgents and one soldier dead in Kupwara district, said N.N. Joshi, the spokesman.
He said another soldier was killed in fighting Saturday in India's Keran sector, near the cease-fire line dividing Kashmir between rivals India and Pakistan.
There was no immediate statement from any of the rebel groups fighting against Indian rule.
Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged gunfire and mortar rounds in the disputed region for a second straight night on Saturday, said Dharmendra Pareek, a top official with India's paramilitary force.
No casualties were reported by either side in the firing. Two villagers were killed on each side in an exchange Friday night, Indian and Pakistani officials said.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, and the rival neighbors claim the disputed Himalayan region in its entirety. They have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir. The two sides have largely followed a 2003 cease-fire accord, but sporadic violations have occurred.
Tensions have escalated in Kashmir since India this past week called off diplomatic talks with Pakistan because the Pakistani ambassador in New Delhi met with separatist leaders from the disputed region.
