Kashmir violence claims six lives

At least six people have been killed in two separate attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Two Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed in a landmine blast near Doda, 165km (100 miles) north-east of the state's winter capital, Jammu.

In a separate incident, two soldiers and two militants are said to have been killed in a gunbattle in Rajouri.

Violence in the troubled Kashmir region was the focus of talks between India and Pakistan earlier this week.

Police say at least five soldiers were injured in the first attack.

"Two CRPF trucks were travelling from Doda to Jammu when militants used powerful improvised explosive devices to target them," a spokesman is quoted as saying by AFP.

"Two CRPF personnel died on the spot and five others were critically injured," he said.

The impact was so great that their vehicle rolled about 120m (400 feet) down the mountain road on which they were travelling.

India and Pakistan discussed Kashmir in their recent talks

A spokesman for the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group says it carried out the landmine attack.

In a separate incident four people, including two security personnel and two militants, are said to have been killed in a gunbattle in a forest up in the mountains in Rajouri district.

Police say soldiers of the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) cordoned off the area receiving information that a group of militants were present in the area.

They came under heavy fire from militants in which one inspector and one head constable were killed.

A fierce gun battle went on for several hours in which the police said the BSF men killed two militants.

Soldiers are conducting a search in the area to see if there are any more militants hiding there, a police spokesman says.

Progress pledge

The troubled region was the focus of talks between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, which ended on Monday.

There was no major breakthrough with both sides sticking to their respective positions on the Kashmir dispute.

But both countries have pledged to press on and the two leaders, Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf and Manmohan Singh of India, will meet on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York later this month.

India blames Pakistan for doing little to stop the infiltration of militants into Indian-administered Kashmir from Pakistani-controlled territory.

But Pakistan denies the charge, saying it only provides moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri separatists.