SRINAGAR, June 30: Fourteen people, including 11 suspected militants, were killed in a surge of violence on Friday in held Kashmir, the army and police said.

Officials claimed eight rebels were killed after were seen entering held Kashmir.

“The eight were killed during a gunbattle in the early hours of Friday in (northern) Keran sector,” Indian army spokesman Colonel Hemant Joneja told AFP.

He said the heavily-armed group was sighted along the Line of Control (LoC) through night vision goggles.

“They were allowed to enter our territory and shortly after they were asked to surrender,” Joneja said, adding the rebels instead opened fire which was returned by the troops, sparking a battle that lasted several hours.

“This is one of the biggest infiltration attempts by militants this year which we have foiled,” he said.

Meanwhile, an army lieutenant colonel, two militants and a civilian were killed during a fierce gunbattle in northern Bandipora town Friday, he said.

“The fighting erupted when soldiers raided a residential house where militants were hiding,” Joneja said.

Troops also gunned down a militant in southern Pulwama district on Friday, a police spokesman said.—AFP