Five Indian soldiers were killed in New Delhi-administered Kashmir during clashes between the army and suspected rebels in the disputed Himalayan territory, security officials said on Thursday.
An earlier report said four soldiers were killed.
An “intense exchange of fire” broke out on Wednesday as soldiers pursued rebels in the dense forests of Kalakote in southern Kashmir, the Indian army said earlier.
Five soldiers, including two members of the elite commando, were killed and another injured, a military officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Two suspected separatist fighters were also killed, he added, saying that one of them had been identified as a “senior” official and that he was a Pakistani citizen who had been active in the region since last year.
The army did not provide further information on the number of rebel fighters involved.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is divided between India and Pakistan, which have claimed sovereignty over the entire area since their independence in 1947.
The two neighbors have fought three wars for control of the region, and since 1989 an armed insurgency in the Indian-administered part has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of sponsoring the attacks, which Pakistan denies. Last week, Indian soldiers killed eight rebels in the Kashmir Valley, the epicenter of the insurgency.
The government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the partially autonomous status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and placed it under direct administration.
According to Indian authorities, at least 118 people have been killed in the conflict this year, including 11 civilians, 27 members of the security forces and 80 suspected rebels.