Kashmir landmine blast, gunbattle kill four

Militants blew up a landmine in Indian Kashmir yesterday and exchanged fierce gunfire with soldiers, leaving four people dead days after India and Pakistan agreed to press on with a flagging peace process.

Two soldiers were killed when their bus ran over the landmine near the remote town of Doda and rolled about 150 metres down a mountain gorge, a police spokesman said.

Kashmir guerilla group Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters had inflicted heavy casualties on Indian forces.

A gunbattle erupted in southern Kashmir between militants and Indian soldiers in which two villagers died and three were wounded.

After the firing stopped, soldiers began searching the village but police said the whereabouts of the rebels were not known.

Foreign ministers of India and Pakistan ended talks this week saying they had made modest progress, but sharp differences remained over Kashmir.

New Delhi reminded Pakistan of its pledge to crack down on Muslim militants that India says are operating from Pakistani soil.

Islamabad denied helping guerillas cross into Indian Kashmir and blamed New Delhi for dragging its feet over talks on the future of the disputed region.