SRINAGAR, June 9: Six militants and a soldier were killed on Thursday in a fierce gun battle in Indian-held Kashmir, police said.

It was the highest toll in a single encounter in recent weeks in the disputed region, where violence has declined since India and Pakistan launched a peace process 18 months ago.

“It is not yet clear whether militants had infiltrated from the Pakistani side or were hiding there,” a police official said.

The gun battle erupted in the Kern sector of northern Kashmir near the Line of Control.

India’s army chief, General J.J. Singh, said on Thursday that militants were making repeated attempts to infiltrate into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistan side.

“Every week there are one or two infiltration attempts. Some get killed but some cross. We are continuously foiling their attempts,” he told reporters. —Reuters