At least four soldiers have been killed in a shootout with suspected militants in Indian-ruled Kashmir, the latest in a string of attacks by armed rebels in the disputed region.
On Monday night, security forces were fired upon while conducting a search operation in a forest in Jammu Doda district.
Last week, five soldiers were killed when their vehicle was ambushed in another part of the disputed region between India and Pakistan.
An armed insurgency against Indian rule has killed thousands of people in Kashmir since 1989, but violence has declined in recent years.
But bloodshed has been on the rise in the relatively peaceful Jammu region in recent months. At least eight attacks have been reported in the region since June.
Last month, suspected militants opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the area, killing nine people and wounding 33.
On July 8, five soldiers were killed in an ambush in Kathua province.
The gunfight on Monday night reportedly began when militants reportedly hiding in the forest opened fire. The Indian Army said in a statement that troops came under fire while conducting a search based on intelligence inputs.
Five soldiers were seriously injured in an exchange of fire with armed forces deployed in X. Four of them later died from their injuries.
Authorities said reinforcements were rushed to the area to prevent the attackers from escaping.
The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a point of conflict between India and Pakistan for decades. Delhi has accused Islamabad of harboring militants and disrupting peace in the region, a charge the latter denies.
