Army Officer, 12 'Militants' Killed in Kashmir Clash

An Indian army lieutenant and a dozen suspected militants were killed Saturday in a clash along the de facto border that splits Kashmir between India and Pakistan, the army said.

The fighting erupted in the northern Gurez district when a group of "heavily-armed militants tried to infiltrate" Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani zone of the divided Muslim-majority territory, said an Indian army spokesman.

"So far a dozen militants have been killed in the ongoing operation," spokesman J.S. Brar told Agence France Presse.

He said an army lieutenant was also killed and two soldiers injured during the "heavy exchange of fire" that started early Saturday.

"By killing the militants we have foiled a major attempt by militants to enter (Indian) Kashmir," Brar said.

He said six bodies had been recovered, while six others were lying in a river, just 20 meters from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

"We are trying to retrieve those bodies but the flow of water is too heavy," Brar said, terming the clash "one of the fiercest in recent years".

The spokesman said that the militants tried to enter the Indian-controlled side by crossing the fast-flowing Kishanganga River in an inflatable boat. The river at many points serves as the Line of Control, or de facto border.

"This is certainly a new development," Brar said of the attempt to infiltrate using a boat.

Five AK rifles, one pistol, two boats, 50 assorted grenades, two radio sets, two compasses and one Global Positioning System, plus large amounts of ammunition and explosives, were found on the dead rebels, Brar said.

"This is the eighth infiltration attempt this month and the largest so far this year," the spokesman said.

India says it regularly intercepts Islamist rebels sneaking into Indian Kashmir to fight New Delhi's rule in the scenic Himalayan region.

Pakistan denies Indian allegations that it helps the insurgents cross into Indian Kashmir.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which each country holds in part but claims in full.

The insurgency against New Delhi's rule has left more than 47,000 people dead since 1989, according to an official count.

The violence has sharply decreased since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004. But over the past month, the Indian army has accused militants of making repeated bids to cross the Line of Control.