A militant attack on an Indian Army patrol in Jammu and Kashmir resulted in the deaths of four soldiers, including an officer, an army official said on Tuesday. This latest incident of violence occurred in the Hindu-dominated part of the troubled Himalayan region.
A firefight broke out after militants ambushed the foot patrol in the woods of Doda district late on Monday, according to Jammu Defence Public Relations Officer Suneel Bartwal. The army has since deployed additional troops to the area as the search for militants continues.
These latest fatalities bring the number of Indian soldiers killed in such attacks this year to 11. Authorities have noted a shift in the epicenter of militant activity from the Kashmir Valley to the Jammu region in recent years.
India and Pakistan both claim the Himalayan region of Kashmir but govern separate parts of it. India accuses Pakistan of training, funding, and pushing militants across the ceasefire line into its part of Kashmir, allegations that Pakistan denies.
