At least four soldiers and two rebels have been killed after a group of militants tried to enter India-administered Kashmir across the de facto border with Pakistan, Indian officials said.
The gun battle erupted on Tuesday after soldiers spotted the militants trying to cross the Line of Control in the Gurez frontier area.
The line divides the disputed Himalayan region into two parts, one administered by India and the other by Pakistan.
The infiltration bid was foiled and two militants were killed in the clash, the Indian army said in a statement. An army major and three soldiers died in the operation, it said.
Indian media reported that Pakistani forces have been targeting Indian positions at Gurez since Monday night, in what the army believes was an attempt to provide covering fire to the group of the infiltrators.
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There were eight militants in the group which was intercepted, the reports said. The operations were ongoing and the army had called in reinforcements, officials said.
India-administered Kashmir has experienced a violent separatist movement that peaked in the late 1980s.
India accuses Pakistan of aiding the militants and helping them cross over the border to carry out attacks in India-administered Kashmir. Islamabad denies the charges and describes the militants as freedom fighters.
The nuclear-armed neighbours both claim the divided Kashmir region in its entirety and have fought two wars over it.
