Kashmir clashes claim 20 lives

Indian Border Security Force soldiers stand guard. India says the number of militant incursions has decreased slightly, but not ended

SRINAGAR, India -- At least 20 people have been killed in violence across the disputed region of Kashmir.

Indian police say four Islamic militants and an Indian officer were killed in a gun battle overnight Wednesday in the town of Rajouri.

The fighting erupted when gunmen infiltrated a high security residential compound for Indian officials in the town, which is near the so-called Line of Control (LoC) that divides Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

The militants hurled grenades, fired rockets and automatic weapons in the lengthy exchange, police said.

Commandos and troops were rushed to the spot and surrounded the house where the terrorists were holed up, the Times of India reported, while residents were evacuated.

Police say that the militants had planned to target top civil and police officials residing in the Deputy Commissioner Complex, the Times reported.

The gunbattle ended early Thursday, Indian officials said, and the army is searching for any militants who may have escaped.

The army said four AK-47 rifles were recovered from the militants.

Artillery fire

MORE STORIES Musharraf sends mangoes to Vajpayee    EXTRA INFORMATION In-Depth: South Asia Powerplay    RESOURCES Infographic: India and Pakistan missile range  Infographic: Maps and military     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

Thirteen more people were killed in separate gun battles elsewhere in Indian-controlled areas Thursday, including nine militants.

At least four of the militants were from the group Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based terror organization, police said.

On the Pakistani-controlled side, meanwhile, authorities say two boys were killed by artillery shells fired across the LoC by Indian forces.

The boys' mother was also injured in the shelling, officials said.

Indian and Pakistani forces regularly trade fire across the LoC, presenting an almost daily risk to the villagers who live along the frontline between the two nuclear neighbors.

The disputed region of Kashmir, where a bloody separatist insurgency has raged for over a decade, has been at the core of a major military standoff between India and Pakistan that almost descended into war earlier this year.

Incursions not over, says India

India blames Pakistan for stoking the revolt and aiding militants crossing the border to carry out attacks on Indian territory.

Islamabad denies the charge, but has vowed to crack down on militant insurgency.

India has said that the number of rebel incursions has fallen but has not ended since the crackdown began. New Delhi insists that it will not resume high-level talks with Pakistan until what it calls "cross border terrorism" ceases.

The last major militant attack took place earlier this month when suspected separatists opened fire on slum dwellers near Jammu, killing at least 27 people.

Between them, Pakistan and India have deployed about one million troops along the LoC and their shared border since a militant attack on parliament in New Delhi last December.