SRINAGAR, Aug 16: Five militants were shot dead in occupied Kashmir by Indian troops on Wednesday after they sneaked across the de facto border from the Pakistani zone, the Indian army said, as it reported the death of one soldier.

The killings came a day after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowed to “neutralise and smash” militants and urged Pakistan to crack down on “cross-border terrorism” in his independence day address to the nation.

“By killing the five, we’ve foiled a major militant infiltration attempt,” an army spokesman said in Srinagar.

“The army suffered one fatal casualty,” he said, adding that “war-like stores including AK-56 rifles, grenades and explosives were recovered from the encounter site.”

The fighting started in Kashmir’s northern Machil sector late on Tuesday and ended on Wednesday afternoon, the spokesman said.

Separately, two young men died late on Tuesday in crossfire between security forces and militants in southern Anantnag district, enraging locals who poured on to the streets in protest, police said.—AFP