Five suspected militants and an Indian air force commando were killed during a fierce gunbattle on Saturday in India-held Kashmir, which also left another soldier injured, the Indian military said.

The shootout began when soldiers cordoned off a neighbourhood in the northern area of Hajin following a tip-off that armed militants were hiding there, said army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia.

“Five militants have been killed in the operation,” Kalia told AFP. “One IAF (India Air Force) soldier was killed and another army soldier was injured.”

On Friday a militant and a police officer were killed in the outskirts of Srinagar during a brief shootout.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir's mostly Muslim population and most people support the separatists' cause. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.