KASHMIR:Two soldiers and nine separatists were killed yesterday in two gun battles near the Pakistan border in Indian Kashmir, an army spokesman said.
It was the highest number of people killed in firefights in a single day in the Himalayan region in recent months.
"The contacts between soldiers and militants have increased in recent days resulting in fierce encounters," army spokesman Lieut-Colonel AK Mathur said.
The latest gun battles took place in Kupwara district bordering Pakistan, nearly 90km (55 miles) northwest of Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital.
Clashes have intensified recently as militants come down to the plains due to the onset of cold weather, officials say.
Officials added that over 42,000 people have been killed in Kashmir since a revolt against Indian rule erupted in 1989. But human rights groups put the toll at some 60,000.
