Gunmen kill five Indian soldiers in India-administered Kashmir

At least five Indian soldiers have been killed and five others wounded after being ambushed by gunmen in India-administered Kashmir, officials have said.

No insurgent group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday.

The attack took place in the Kathua district of the Indian-administered Kashmir while the military was on a routine patrol, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to reporters.

Police and army reinforcements were rushed to the area, a massive cordon was set up and a search operation was underway, the officer said.

The attacks were the latest in a flurry of violence that erupted on Sunday when police said two clashes killed two Indian army soldiers and six gunmen in the Kulgam district.

Earlier in the day, gunmen fired at an army camp in the district of Rajouri, wounding a soldier.

Disputed region

The Himalayan region has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947 but is coveted in its entirety by both.

The two nuclear-armed neighbours have fought three wars over the territory.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training insurgents to fight its forces for control of Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies.

Various groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir’s independence from India or seeking to merge it with Pakistan, which most Muslim Kashmiri residents in the Indian-administered sector support.

Tens of thousands of civilians, gunmen and government forces have been killed in the conflict.