Clashes Between Insurgents And Indian Army Leaves 7 Dead In Disputed Kashmir

Srinagar, India (AHN) - Clashes between Indian army and Islamic militants have left at least seven dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir, according to local authorities.

Among the dead were three civilians, a news photographer, a soldier and two gunmen, according to a statement from Indian army officials.

"A photographer of a local daily, a politician and his wife died in the attack in Samba region of Jammu today," Shakeel Baig, senior superintendent of police, told Bloomberg from Jammu. "A heavy gun battle is going on."

Ashok Sodhi, a 45-year-old photographer for the local English newspaper the Daily Excelsior, was shot in a crossfire and was declared dead after he was taken to a near-by hospital.

The troops have been engaged in battle with the Islamic militants since early Sunday, leaving six suspected militants remaining inside a house, according to Indian army spokesman Lt. Col. S.D. Goswami.

Before the troops began their confrontation with the militants, the gunmen had already killed two residents in the Himalayan region's Samba region, which is located about 70 kilometers (42 miles) south of Kashmir's winter capital Jammu.

"Firing between unidentified militants and security forces is still going on in the area, which has been cordoned off," deputy inspector general of police Farooq Khan told AFP news agency.

Violence in the region had reportedly dropped in Indian Kashmir since the launch of the India-Pakistan peace process.

However, the local authorities in the area claim that the insurgents continue to cross into the scenic Himalayan region to sustain an insurgency that erupted in 1989, according to AFP news agency.