Two Indian soldiers and two suspected militants were reportedly killed in armed clashes on Thursday in held Kashmir, officials said, in another day of bloodshed in the region where tensions are high following the killing of a prominent suspected militant.

The separatists were killed in Kulgam, south of the main city of Srinagar in India-held Kashmir, when they walked into an ambush laid by Indian soldiers.

“It was a deliberate and swift operation,” an army officer told AFP.

In a separate incident, two Indian troops were killed and another injured in a shootout with suspected militants in Shopian district, the officer said on condition of anonymity.

The soldiers came under fire as they surrounded a house suspected of harbouring militants, and were evacuated from the scene. It was not clear if the people inside evaded capture.

“Three soldiers were evacuated by air but two of them died before reaching a military hospital,” a police officer said.

The violence comes just days after Indian forces killed suspected militant commander Abu Dujana, who reportedly headed the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group in Kashmir.

His death sparked protests and violent clashes across Kashmir, in which two civilians, including a teenage student, were killed.

Schools and colleges remained shut on Thursday amid fears of further protests against Indian rule.