Soldiers killed in Kashmir clash

Indian forces say that they have killed at least 10 Pakistani soldiers in a clash near the Line of Control in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

General PPS Bindra of India's northern command said his troops had fired on up to 40 Pakistani troops who were attempting to penetrate Indian territory in the Poonch sector early on Thursday morning.

He said one Indian soldier had been killed in the exchange and another had been wounded.

One soldier was also reported to be missing.

Civilians sometimes get caught in the crossfire

Pakistan disputed the claim, saying that Indian troops had launched an unprovoked attack on a Pakistani post.

An official statement said Pakistani troops repulsed the attack and Indian soldiers had to withdraw after suffering heavy casualties.

In a report from Islamabad, an Indian news agency quoted the Pakistani military as saying that two of its troops had been killed in the clash and another two were missing.

Frequent clashes

Indian and Pakistani troops routinely exchange fire along the 740 km (463 mile) ceasefire line or Line of Control (LoC) between them.

But the BBC's correspondent in Islamabad, Zafar Abbas, says this is the first serious clash between the neighbours since they agreed to an unofficial ceasefire two months ago.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir since 1947.

In May 1999, Indian troops were engaged in an eight-week long battle against what they called Pakistan-backed infiltrators in the Kargil sector of Kashmir.

The fighting ended when the infiltrators withdrew back to the Pakistani side.