Five more killed in Kashmir violence

A police officer and four militants were killed in separate incidents yesterday in Indian administered-Kashmir as hundreds of residents clashed with security forces in the region hit by weeks of deadly unrest.

Indian soldiers shot and killed four militants as they tried to cross the heavily militarised border that divides the disputed Himalayan region between India and rival Pakistan, an army official said.

"They tried to infiltrate into Nowgam sector and were intercepted. Four militants were killed and their AK rifles were recovered," army spokesman NN Joshi said, referring to the area northwest of the main city of Srinagar.

An unknown number of militants later killed a police officer in Poonch sector south of Srinagar, an officer in the area's police control room told AFP.

Security forces were called in to hunt down the militants, sparking a fierce and ongoing gunbattle, the unnamed officer said, without giving more details.

The encounters with militants came as stone-pelting residents protesting against Indian rule of the region clashed with troops in Pulwana and two other places in the southern Kashmir Valley, leaving scores injured, police officers said.

Eighty civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the worst violence to hit the Muslim-majority territory since 2010.

The violence, which started on July 8 and killed more than 80 people, shows few signs of abating, with residents continuing to take to the streets, while schools and most businesses remain closed, hitting the region's economy hard.