Troops in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir continued Tuesday to search for militants after intense gun battles left several soldiers critically wounded.

Indian media reported that four soldiers had died.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region, has seen an increase in attacks over the past two months.

The Indian army's 16 Corps announced that security forces initiated an operation in the Doda district on Monday evening.

"Contact with terrorists was established...(a) heavy firefight ensued," it said in a statement. "Initial reports suggest injuries to our bravehearts."

The army did not provide additional information on the casualties, and there was no official confirmation of the deaths. However, Indian media widely reported that five soldiers were "critically" wounded, with the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reporting that four of them later succumbed to their injuries.

The army announced that "additional troops" had been deployed to the area.

"Operations are continuing," it stressed.

Dive deeper

The clashes occurred a day after the Indian army killed three suspected militants in Kupwara district, Kashmir, on Sunday.

Earlier this month, gunmen ambushed an army convoy, killing five soldiers, while two other soldiers and six suspected militants were killed in separate incidents.

In June, nine Indian Hindu pilgrims were killed and dozens were injured when a gunman attacked their bus in the southern Reasi area. This attack was one of the deadliest in recent years and the first targeting Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir since 2017 when seven people were killed in another ambush on a bus.

It is noteworthy that the territory of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since its independence in 1947. Rebel groups have been fighting for more than three decades with Indian forces, demanding the independence of Kashmir or its annexation to Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and rebels have lost their lives in these years. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the militants.

Read more: India orders news outlet to omit army torture of civilians in Kashmir