Eight militants reported killed in Kashmir

Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say eight militants have been killed in clashes with Indian troops in the last twenty-four hours.

In one incident alone, five militants and at least one Indian soldier were killed in the Sadganga forest area of Kupwara district.

Police said the clash began early this morning Saturday and continued until the evening.

A militant spokesman said at least four Indian soldiers died. The authorities say the militants were members of the Al-Badr, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toyeba militant groups.

Police report that three other militants died in two separate clashes with security forces in Poonch and Udhampur districts.

In yet another incident, the separatists claimed to have shot dead a pro-India militant at Bandipora, north of the capital, Srinagar.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service