Indian army reports deadly gun battle in Kashmir

The Indian army in Kashmir says a gunbattle has killed 11 suspected rebels and one soldier along the military Line of Control separating Indian and Pakistani territory.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. J.S. Brar says the fighting erupted today when the suspected militants crossed from the Pakistan-controlled portion of the disputed territory into the Indian-run sector of Gurez.

Brar says six of the suspected rebels' bodies were recovered, but five were lost after falling into a river during the fighting. There was no way to independently confirm the report of the incident. No Kashmiri rebel groups fighting Indian rule have issued any statements.

Brar says the gun battle was the year's biggest. Militant attacks have decreased in recent decades. AP