Four militants were killed and two soldiers injured in a gunbattle in troubled Indian Kashmir, a police spokesman said on Saturday. The encounter began Friday night when Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers challenged a group of militants hiding in the Gool forests of Udhampur district, 110 kilometres (68 miles) east of Kashmir's winter capital Jammu, the spokesman said. "As the soldiers were aiming to storm the hideout they came under heavy fire in which two border guards were wounded," he said. The shootout lasted for several hours in which two militants were killed Friday night and two early Saturday morning while two managed to escape. A manhunt has been launched to capture the two fugitives, the official said. A large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the hideout.