Two suspected militants and two members of a government-sponsored militia have been killed in two separate incidents in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

A joint operation of security forces was launched in Kishtwar after the Kashmir Tigers kidnapped and killed two civilians on Thursday.

Indian troops on Sunday were battling with gunmen in Kashmir with one suspected rebel killed, the army said, the latest violence in the long-running insurgency in the disputed Muslim-majority territory.

Indian security forces killed two militants in a firefight in Sopore, North Kashmir, after militants killed two village defence guards in Kishtwar. The gun battle erupted Thursday night as soldiers and police searched for militants.