SRINAGAR: Suspected militants clashed with Indian soldiers on Saturday near the Line of Control in India-held Kashmir, killing one soldier and wounding another, an Indian army officer said.

Following the clash, Indian troops mounted a search for holed-up militants, said the officer.

He said at least three Indian soldiers and five Kashmiri militants had been killed in fighting over the past week in the mountainous Kupwara region.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley alleged that incursions were taking place from the Pakistani side which were “extremely serious and provocative”.

There was no immediate statement from any of the groups fighting against Indian rule since 1989.

Published in Dawn, August 31th, 2014