Crossfire between Indian security forces and armed rebels in Kashmir

Two police sources said a battle broke out between security forces and militants in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir for the first time since mobile phone services were restored in the region in a bid to restore normalcy after a long period of restrictions.

The sources, who asked not to be named, said that soldiers had raided a village in southern Kashmir, which had long been a flashpoint in separatist rebellion, following intelligence reports that militants were taking refuge, adding that there were no confirmed reports of casualties.

Earlier this week, India restored some mobile phone services in Kashmir after two months of disconnection.

The New Delhi has cut off telephone lines and internet services in the state of Jammu and Kashmir before the abolition of the state's special status on the fifth of August, which ended the terms of constitutional work in place for a long time in the region inhabited by a Muslim majority demanding Pakistan's sovereignty over it as well.