Two soldiers and nine separatist militants were killed on Friday in two separate gun battles near the Pakistan border in Indian Kashmir, an army spokesman said. It was the highest number of people killed in firefights in a single day in the Himalayan region in recent months. “The contacts between soldiers and militants have increased in recent days resulting in fierce encounters,” Army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel AK Mathur said. The latest gun battles took place in Kupwara district , nearly 90 km northwest of Srinagar. The clashes between Indian troops and Muslim militants have intensified in recent days in the mountainous region as militants come down to the plains due to the onset of bitter cold weather, officials say.