Two suspected rebels, Indian soldier killed in Kashmir

Two suspected rebels and an Indian soldier were killed Tuesday (18) in disputed Kashmir along the de facto border with Pakistan, where the two sides traded fire for a second day.

Army spokesman colonel Rajesh Kalia said Indian soldiers exchanged fire with unknown combatants as they tried to cross the Line of Control (LoC) into Indian-administered Kashmir.

"Two bodies and three weapons were recovered from the site of the firing," Kalia said.

In a separate incident an Indian soldier shot and killed his senior officer at a frontier post in Uri following a dispute between the two, Kalia said.

An investigation by the army and police is under way.

Along the border, India and Pakistan lobbed mortars for a second day, escalating tensions after deaths on both sides of the frontier.

An Indian soldier and an eight-year-old girl died Monday (17) in an exchange of fire at the border, just a day after Pakistan accused its regional rival of killing four of its troops.

Following a phone call between top military officials on both sides, India defended its right to retaliate to "ceasefire violations" across the border.

India and Pakistan regularly exchange fire at the border despite a ceasefire agreement signed in 2003, and accuse each other of killing soldiers and civilians.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over it.