JAMMU, Jan 3: Suspected militants on Wednesday killed a soldier and wounded another two in a gunbattle in occupied Kashmir, a defence ministry spokesman said.

The fighting began when an army patrol cordoned off the Kandi village, 160km northwest of Jammu, while looking for suspected insurgents, said spokesman Lt-Col S.D. Goswami. The rebels hiding there fired on the soldiers, he said.

PROTEST: On Monday, people in occupied Kashmir marked the Eidul Azha holiday with a series of anti-American demonstrations over the hanging of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Several hundred youth poured into the streets of Srinagar and set fire to American flags.

Several other anti-American demonstrations were held in Srinagar and other towns in occupied Kashmir after Eid prayers.

All Parties Hurriyet Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani branded the execution as a “brutal and unjust killing”.—AP/AFP