Two killed in Kashmir gun battle

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Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir say soldiers have killed two militants in a clash in Sopore, 50km (31 miles) north of the summer capital, Srinagar.

Fighting began on Sunday afternoon after the soldiers and policemen surrounded the Muslim Pir locality.

The fighting went on till midnight after which the troops set fire to a house where militants from the Al-mansurian group were hiding.

Police said the security forces did not suffer any casualties.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Kashmir since 1989 when an armed separatist insurgency began against the Indian rule.

Violence decreased in Indian-administered Kashmir after India and Pakistan began peace moves in 2004.

But in the last few months, there has been an escalation in violence in the state.

Both India and Pakistan lay claim to Muslim-majority Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two wars over the region since 1947.