Baba UmarA fierce gun battle has killed five members of Indian government forces and five suspected rebels in India-administered Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
The fighting erupted after the Indian soldiers cordoned off a remote forested village in the mountains of northwestern Kupwara district on Tuesday following a tip that rebels were hiding there, the region's senior police official SP Vaid said.
Vaid said at least three rebels were killed overnight, and two others were killed on Wednesday.
Officials said they were continuing to search the area near the de facto border between Pakistan and India but the exchange of gunfire had stopped.
The government fatalities occurred on Wednesday. They consisted of two counter-insurgency police and three Indian army soldiers. At least three police officials and a soldier were also wounded.
No rebel group immediately issued any statement about the fighting.
Anti-India sentiment in Kashmir
Nuclear-armed Pakistan and India each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which in recent years has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule.
Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies. Pakistan says it only offers political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris fighting Indian rule.
Most Kashmiris support the rebels' cause against Indian rule while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.
Nearly 100,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
