Two soldiers and three suspected militants were killed in an overnight gun battle in India-held Kashmir (IHK), officials said on Sunday, in the latest bloodshed in the disputed Himalayan territory.

Hundreds of Indian soldiers and counter-insurgency forces surrounded Awneera, a village about 50 kilometres south of the main city of Srinagar, on Saturday evening following a tip-off about allegedly armed militants in the area.

A fierce firefight broke out in which three suspected militants and two soldiers were killed, army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia told AFP.

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 'militants' were identified as locals.

As news of their death spread, hundreds of residents from neighbouring villages took to the streets in protest, throwing stones at soldiers and chanting slogans against Indian rule.

In a separate incident early on Sunday, militants fired at an army convoy in the northern area of Hajin and injured two police officers and a soldier, the same police officer said.

On Saturday a civilian and a soldier were killed in gunfire between Indian and Pakistan soldiers along the Line of Control.

At least 130 suspected militants and 39 soldiers have died in clashes so far this year, officials say.

Opinion

A long week

A long week

There’s some wariness about the excitement surrounding this moment of international glory.

Editorial

Unlearnt lessons
Updated 28 Apr, 2026

Unlearnt lessons

THE US is undoubtedly the world’s top military and economic power at this time. Yet as the Iran quagmire has ...
Solar vision?
28 Apr, 2026

Solar vision?

THE recent imposition of certain regulatory requirements for small-scale solar systems, followed by the reversal of...
Breaking malaria’s grip
28 Apr, 2026

Breaking malaria’s grip

FOR the first time in decades, defeating malaria in our lifetime is possible, according to WHO. Yet in Pakistan,...
Pathways to peace
Updated 27 Apr, 2026

Pathways to peace

NEGOTIATIONS to hammer out the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement took nearly two years before a breakthrough was achieved....
Food-insecure nation
27 Apr, 2026

Food-insecure nation

A NEW UN-backed report has listed Pakistan among 10 countries where acute food insecurity is most concentrated. This...
Migration toll
27 Apr, 2026

Migration toll

THE world should not be deceived by a global migration count lower than the highest annual statistics on record —...