SRINAGAR, India (AFP) — Eleven Muslim rebels and an Indian soldier have been killed in two days of fierce fighting in a Kashmir district bordering the Pakistani part of the disputed state, the army said Wednesday.
The gun battle took place in Kupwara district, near the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, and broke out after militants sneaked into Indian territory from Pakistan, an army spokesman said.
"The two days of fighting left eleven terrorists dead. We are looking for more militants in the mountainous area," he said, adding that an army officer was also killed and the fighting was among the fiercest so far this year.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and funding militants who are engaged in an 18-year-old insurgency in the Indian part of the scenic Himalayan region.
Pakistan denies the charge and says it is doing its best to prevent armed rebels from crossing into Indian Kashmir.
Violence has dropped sharply since the two nuclear-armed neighbours started a peace process in 2004 to resolve all disputes, including Kashmir.
The insurgency has left more than 43,000 people dead by official count.
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