Three Muslim militants were killed in a clash with Indian forces in the Kashmir region today and 24 Indian security men were wounded in a blast later, an Indian official said.
A spokesman for India's Border Security Force (BSF) said three militants and one civilian were killed in an encounter in the Tral district, south of Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state over which India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars.
Nearly 24 BSF and police personnel were injured due to an explosion after the gunbattle, the BSF spokesman said.
Kashmir is at the heart of a tense military standoff between India and Pakistan that began after a December attack on India's parliament which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based guerrillas.
India controls 45 per cent of the Himalayan region, Pakistan just over a third and China the rest.
About a dozen rebel groups are fighting India's rule in the Muslim-majority region and Indian authorities say about 33,000 people have died in 12 years of rebellion.
Separatists put the toll at closer to 80,000.