A gun fight ensued between security forces and militants in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, with the army saying it "neutralized" one suspected militant in the fighting. 

The gun battle started in the early hours of the day during a cordon-and-search operation by the Indian Army, and Jammu and Kashmir Police, in the Surankote area of Poonch district, following an intelligence report, officials said in a statement. 

The military lost nine soldiers in the same area earlier this year.

Second shootout in two days

Tensions are high in the restive region — a point of contention between India and Pakistan — after a police bus was attacked in the city of Srinagar on Monday, killing three policemen and injuring 14 others. A third officer succumbed to his injuries late on Monday, with two fatalities initially reported.

Monday's attack is the latest in a long line since revocation of the region's semi-autonomous status in 2019 by the Indian government, and a suicide attack on a paramilitary convoy in Pulwama early that year in which 40 troops were killed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences after Monday's attack and has sought details of the attack, his office said on Twitter.

dvv/msh (AFP, Reuters)