Several die in Kashmir violence

The attack happened after a four year lull in fighting in the area

Eight people have been killed in violence involving armed militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

Among the dead were four civilians, including a photojournalist and an Indian soldier. Two militants were also killed.

Police say the firefight happened in Samba district when the militants were confronted by security forces.

There has been a big reduction in fighting in recent years, with an India-Pakistan peace process under way.

Correspondents say Sunday's attack is the first on such a scale for nearly four years in the region.

The violence over the weekend followed an attack by militants on a locality in Samba town, south of Jammu, and close to the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the Indian-administered and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir.

Infiltration

Senior police official Farooq Khan said the two militants were sighted by a local resident early on Sunday.

The militants opened fire on being questioned about their motives by the resident, killing him and his wife on the spot.

On hearing the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and fought a pitched battle with the militants, who took shelter in a house and continued firing.

A senior photojournalist working with a local English-language newspaper, Ashok Sodhi, was killed when a bullet fired by one the militants hit him while he was taking pictures, the police said.

A soldier was killed and two were injured in the fighting, which continued through the day.

Earlier, on Friday, Indian paramilitary forces claimed that they had foiled an attempt by suspected militants from neighbouring Pakistan to enter the region.

Indian security agencies believe that some militants may have succeeded in crossing over and were behind Sunday's attack.

Indian officials say Islamist militants are still trying to cross into the area to sustain the insurgency that has gone on for nearly 20 years.

Militant groups have been fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir since 1989 and the conflict has cost more than 60,000 lives.