At least six separatist militants have been killed by the Indian army in a gun battle in the country’s administered Kashmir.
Indian army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said the operation was launched in Sekipora village, around 50 kilometers (32 miles) south of Srinagar, following intelligence reports about the presence of a group of militants.
“Six militants were killed during a fierce gunfight and arms and ammunition along with their bodies have been recovered,” Kalia said.
Among the dead is a member of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba who police say was part of the group that gunned down a top newspaper editor, Syed Shujaat Bukhari, outside his office in June.
The latest killings bring the death toll for the year to the highest since 2008 when 505 people died.
Indian forces have stepped up an offensive against militants operating inside the Kashmir Valley as well as those trying to intrude from across the border with Pakistan, officials say.
The militants have hit back, targeting members of the Kashmir police and their families in recent months.
So far this year, 400 people have been killed in Kashmir with more than half of them being guerrillas fighting Indian rule.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir and have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region since their separation in 1947.
A military Line of Control (LoC) divides the Indian and Pakistani sides, with India ruling 45 percent of Kashmir and the bulk of its more than 11 million population. Pakistan has about 35 percent of the territory and China controls the rest.
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