Soldiers killed in Kashmir blast

About 5,000 Indian soldiers have died in the Kashmir conflict

Five Indian soldiers, including two senior officers, have been killed in a series of attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The officers, Brigadier B.S. Shergill and Colonel Rajendra Chauhan, were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine in the border town of Handuwara, north of the capital Srinagar.

Their deaths followed an earlier rocket attack on a military camp near Banihal on the Jammu-Srinigar road, which left three soldiers dead

Pakistan's military leader General Pervez Musharraf said he believed that Islamabad and Delhi could resolve their differences over the future of the troubled region, where violence has claimed at least 30,000 lives, including those of more than 5,000 Indian troops.

It is not clear who is behind the latest attacks, but one report says the brigadier was part of a special counter-insurgency unit set up to combat militants.

A BBC correspondent says it is only the second time that a brigadier of the Indian army has been killed by militants in Kashmir.

Indian troops have cordoned off several villages around the blast site and have launched a search for the attackers.

Peace talks

The latest violence came even as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, said peace talks, which broke down two weeks ago, could resume soon.

Talks would be held secretly without the knowledge of the media

J&K Government statement

Talks collapsed when India refused to agree to the demand by Hizbul Mujahideen - one of the oldest Kashmiri separatist groups - that Pakistan should be involved in the talks.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Musharraf said that while he would not place any pre-conditions on any peace treaties, he accused India of already doing so.

He added that he believed the success of any peace talks depended on both sides acting with sincerity and the interests of Kashmiris at heart.

Security has been stepped up

The Hizbul Mujahideen has offered to renew the ceasefire if India agrees to tripartite talks including Pakistan.

But the BBC correspondent in Srinagar, Altaf Hussein, says neither side appears to have shifted their stance.

A spokesman for the Hizbul recently dismissed a statement from Mr Abdullah saying that the government was in touch with a section of the group.