NEW DELHI: Four Indian soldiers were killed and at least six others wounded in gun battles with fighters in held Kashmir, a senior police officer said on Monday.

The officer said the battle broke out after fighters ambushed an army convoy in the Malhar area of Jammu. This is the latest incident in an uptick of attacks in the occupied territory.

On Sunday, two soldiers and six suspected fighters were killed in two separate gun battles in villages in the Kulgam district, police said.

In June, nine Indian pilgrims were killed and dozens wounded when a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying them from a shrine in the southern Reasi area.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in years and the first on pilgrims in held Kashmir since 2017, when gunmen killed seven people in another ambush on a bus.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2024