Indian-controlled Kashmir:- Four Indian soldiers were killed and at least six others were wounded when suspected rebels ambushed an army vehicle during a routine patrol in Kashmir's Indian-controlled Kathua district on Monday, according to Indian police officials.

In response, police and army reinforcements swiftly deployed to the area, establishing a cordon and commencing a search operation.

The incident, for which no insurgent group has claimed responsibility, marks the latest in a series of violent clashes.

Just a day earlier, two separate gunfights in Kulgam district resulted in the deaths of two Indian soldiers and six suspected militants, according to police reports.

Earlier on the same day, militants fired upon an army camp in Rajouri district, injuring one soldier.

The Kashmir region, situated in the Himalayas, has been a point of contention between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both nations laying claim to the entire area. The dispute over Kashmir has led to three wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

The Muslim-majority region is divided between India and Pakistan. India has accused Pakistan of supporting insurgents with arms and training in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad denies these allegations.

Since 1989, rebel groups have waged an insurgency seeking either independence for Kashmir or its integration with Pakistan. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties among civilians, soldiers and insurgents.

In June, an attack on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the Reasi area claimed the lives of nine pilgrims and injured many others. VOA/SP