The death toll from days of fierce fighting between troops and militants in Indian held Kashmir has risen to 19, the army said Monday. The three separate gun battles broke out on Saturday and followed a cross-border firing incident that left one Indian soldier injured.
"The three encounters have left eight soldiers and eleven militants dead since the fighting started on Saturday," army spokesman J.S. Brar told reporters in Srinagar. Brar said the operation by hundreds of troops in the thickly forested area was continuing. New Delhi has also accused "official agencies" in Pakistan-a reference to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of involvement in the Mumbai attacks.