AFP, Srinagar

A soldier was abducted by suspected militants and killed in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), police said yesterday, hours after results were announced for the disputed region’s first local elections in a decade.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between rivals India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and is home to a long-running insurgency.

Two soldiers were kidnapped on Tuesday evening in Anantnag district, a police officer told AFP.

“One of the soldiers managed to escape. He has two bullet wounds and is undergoing treatment,” said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media.