Four Indian Soldiers Killed In Militant Attacks On Jammu And

UNSPLASH/Bao ILLUSTRATIONs Long

JAKARTA - A militant attack on Indian Army patrols in Jammu andbang killed four soldiers, including an officer, the military said.

The death toll stood at 11 of the number of Indian soldiers killed in a number of attacks this year. The militant activity center has moved in recent years to Jammu region of thetucidal Valley, authorities said.

The shootout came after militants ambushed walking patrols in the Doda district forest on Monday, July 15 evening, military officials said.

In a statement, the army said it had moved additional troops to the area, as operations continued.

India and Pakistan both claim theilon region in the Himalayan, but control parts of the region. India blames Pakistan for training, funding and pushing militants into itscitiary region through a ceasefire line, a charge Pakistan denies.

A spate of militant attacks aims to return violence to levels that have occurred in decades since 1995, the regional police chief, RR Swain, told reporters.

They will definitely find a gap, he said, referring to militant infiltration into the region. We will deal with it,' said Swain.

militant attacks in the past in India's managed territory are mostly focused on Muslim-dominatedtenataworks.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his condolences to the families of the dead in Monday's attack.

Similar attacks in the Jammu region have killed 43 soldiers in the past three years.