SRINAGAR, India, June 4 (Reuters) - Four suspected Muslim militants were shot dead by Indian soldiers on Monday when they tried to sneak into Kashmir from the Pakistani side, the second infiltration attempt in the past week, an army spokesman said.

Violence has flared up in Kashmir in recent weeks after the end of winter, as it allows easier movement of militants within the Himalayan region and also lets them trek through the mountain passes into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani side.

"Soldiers challenged a group of infiltrators in Manjkote area near the Line of Control which resulted in a fierce firefight," said Lieutenant-Colonel S.D. Goswami, an Indian army spokesman.

"Four militants were killed while the others fled. A search operation in the area is still in progress."

Manjkote lies in Rajouri district of south Kashmir, near the Line of Control, a military line dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Later on Monday, six civilians were wounded when suspected militants lobbed a grenade at a police post in the heart of Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, police said.

India and Pakistan, which launched a peace process in 2004, claim Kashmir in full but rule it in parts. New Delhi says Islamabad has not done enough to curb Muslim militants operating from its soil, a charge Islamabad rejects.

More than 42,000 people have been killed in Kashmir since a revolt against New Delhi's rule erupted in 1989, officials say. Human rights groups put the toll at about 60,000 dead or missing.

AlertNet news is provided by