Gunmen killed four Indian soldiers Friday in an ambush outside Srinagar, sparking a gun battle in which one attacker also died.
The Indian soldiers were on a search operation during a patrol when they were ambushed in the village of Hardu Buchoo, 30 kilometres  southeast of Srinagar near the forested area of Tral. “The militants fired at the soldiers from outside the village, when the cordon was laid,” Indian army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ankur Vashist told AFP in Srinagar. “Four of our soldiers were killed,” Vashist said. The gunmen fled into the forest and the army called in reinforcements to encircle the area and try to capture them. Three soldiers were killed in the ambush and a soldier injured in the ensuing gunbattle later died, a police official told AFP.
“One militant involved in the attack was also killed during the encounter. We are ascertaining his identity,” Abdul Gani Mir, police chief, said.
The ambush comes a day after Indian forces killed a top militant from outlawed group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Srinagar during an early morning gun battle.