The most recent in a string of assaults by armed insurgents in the disputed area, a battle with suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir has claimed the lives of at least four soldiers.

While conducting a search operation in the forests of Jammu's Doda district on Monday night, security troops came under fire.

Five troops lost their lives last week when their vehicle was ambushed in a different area of the region—a territory that both India and Pakistan contest.

An armed insurgency against Indian rule has claimed thousands of lives in Kashmir since 1989, but violence has reduced in recent years.

However, the relatively peaceful Jammu region has seen increasing bloodshed in recent months. At least eight attacks have been reported in the region since June.

Last month, nine people died and 33 were injured after suspected militants fired on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the region.

On 8 July, five soldiers were killed in an ambush in Kathua district.

Monday night's gunfight began when militants allegedly hiding in forests opened fire, reports said. The Indian army said in a statement that its forces came under fire while carrying out a search based on intelligence inputs.

Five soldiers were critically injured in the exchange of fire with militants, the army posted on X. Four of them succumbed to injuries later.

Reinforcements have been rushed to the area to prevent the attackers from fleeing, officials say.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan for decades. Delhi accuses Islamabad of harbouring militants and disrupting peace in the region, a charge the latter denies.