Fighting kills 13 rebels, 1 soldier in Kashmir

Srinagar: A fierce gunbattle between Indian troops and militants high in the Himalayas in Kashmir has ended after a week, killing 14 people, the army said on Friday.

A soldier and 13 militants were killed in the fighting, the longest battle in recent years, and Indian forces said they had begun mop up operations after the firing stopped on Thursday.

"The operation is being conducted in inhospitable, harsh and treacherous terrain at an altitude up to 4,572 metres," an army statement said.

The gunbattle began last Thursday in the Kagnan area, north of Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital.

The army said that militants have been retreating to the Himalayan plains due to the early onset of cold weather in the mountains and clashes between Indian soldiers and militants fleeing their hideouts have intensified.

Violence levels have declined significantly since 2004 when India and Pakistan began a peace process but people are still killed in shootouts and occasional explosions in Kashmir, which India and Pakistan claim in full but rule in parts.

Other incidents

In a separate incident on Friday, security forces shot dead two members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group India blames for deadly attacks in Kashmir and elsewhere.

Police also said a militant was killed on Thursday night when soldiers fired at a group of "infiltrators" who tried to slip into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani side.