Eight people killed after gun battles erupt in Kashmir

Two soldiers and six suspected gunmen were killed in two separate gun battles in India-administered Kashmir, police have said.

Kashmir police inspector general Vidhi Kumar Birdi told AFP on Sunday that authorities in the disputed territory had "carried out two different operations" in villages in the Kulgam district.

Birdi said two members of the security forces had been killed, with clashes continuing in Modergram and Frisal Chinnigam villages.

"We have retrieved the bodies of two terrorists from Modergram, and four others from Frisal Chinnigam," said Birdi.

This is the latest incident in an uptick of attacks in the disputed territory.

Kashmir dispute

The Muslim-majority region of Kashmir is claimed by both Pakistan and India in full, but each administers only part of it.

Rebel groups have waged an insurgency since 1989, demanding independence for the territory or its merger with Pakistan.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels.