Several dead in Kashmir fighting

The aftermath of a bomb attack on a bus carrying Indian soldiers

Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say two security personnel and three militants have been killed in two gun battles on Tuesday.

In a separate incident, at least 10 Indian soldiers were injured in a bomb attack by suspected militants.

Tuesday's violence comes the day after India said there had been a big drop in violence since Indian and Pakistani troops began a ceasefire last month.

Separatist militants are not observing the ceasefire.

Militant group named

The Indian army says there was a clash in the district of Rajouri district, near the Line of Control (LOC) separating Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, which left three militants and an army soldier dead.

The army says the militants belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammad group.

In another gun battle a policeman was killed and three army soldiers were injured in a forest area of Poonch district.

Earlier a number of Indian soldiers were wounded when explosives were set off by the road they were travelling on north of the summer capital, Srinagar.

At least 10 soldiers were wounded - some reports put the figure at more than 20.

The bomb is thought to have been hidden in a shop in the village of Lawaypora along the road which connects Srinagar to the border town of Uri.

Some of the wounded were in critical condition, Indian Army Colonel Bala Yadav told the Associated Press news agency.

"The improvised explosive device must have been triggered by remote control to target the soldiers," he added.

Lull

Separatist militants have been fighting Indian security forces in Kashmir since 1989.

On Monday, a spokesman for the government in Indian-controlled Kashmir said the de facto border, the Line of Control, had been quiet since the introduction of a ceasefire with Pakistan in November.

The number of incidents involving militant Kashmir separatists had declined by nearly one-third, the spokesman said.

Last week, a woman was killed and 10 other people were injured in a similar explosion on the same road as Tuesday's explosion.