9 people killed in Kashmir village clash

SRINAGAR, India — Tensions escalated in the aftermath of a suicide attack in disputed Kashmir, with nine people killed Monday in a gunbattle that broke out as Indian soldiers scoured the area for militants.

Government forces surrounded a village in the southern Pulwama area on a tip that militants were hiding there, security officials said. As troops began conducting searches, they came under heavy gunfire, leading to a clash that killed four soldiers, three suspected militants, a police official and a civilian.

Three army officers, a senior police officer and three other soldiers were wounded in the operation, which follows a Thursday suicide attack on a paramilitary convoy that killed at least 40 soldiers, the worst attack against Indian government forces in Kashmir’s history.

India blamed the attack on Pakistan and promised a “jaw-breaking response.” Pakistan has warned India against linking it to the attack without an investigation.

AP/CHANNI ANAND Indian soldiers keep vigil during the fourth consecutive day of curfew in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, India, on Monday.