"Four soldiers were killed during the shootout and another one is injured," a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. The official said the soldiers fired warning shots and the militants fired back, unleashing the firefight in the district 40km south of the main city of Srinagar. Government forces have launched a massive hunt for militants in parts of the disputed region since Thursday's bombing that India has blamed on Pakistan. An explosives-packed van rammed a convoy transporting 2,500 security forces in the deadliest attack in Kashmir in 30 years. Tens of thousands of people, mainly civilians, have died in Kashmir since an armed rebellion broke out in 1989.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 18, 2019 03:45 UTC