Militants kill Indian soldier in Kashmir

An Indian soldier was killed and three others were injured when they fought a gun battle with terrorists trying to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan, an official said on Sunday.

"A soldier was killed and three others were injured in a gunfight near the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar area of Kupwara district," a defence ministry spokesman told IANS here.

The slain soldier has been identified as Bashir Ahmad. He was the first to notice militants on the Indian side of the LoC on Saturday. The intruders fired at him and he died because of his injuries.

On Saturday too, a group of militants tried to sneak into India but were challenged by soldiers, triggering a gunfight at Kupaa Gali in Kupwara, an official had told IANS. Two soldiers were injured.

The winding LoC divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Islamabad holds the northern third of the state while New Delhi controls the southern two-third.