SRINIGAR: A brief gunbattle between rebels and Indian government forces on Tuesday killed two rebels and two troops in the disputed Kashmir region, Indian police said.

Army and police officers acting on a tip had been searching for militants hiding in the southern Kashmiri village of Hundoora when militants allegedly began firing on them, sparking an hour-long gunbattle, senior Indian police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said.

He claimed that two militants, a police constable and an army colonel were killed. Another two soldiers were wounded.

There was no immediate statement from any of the rebel groups that have been fighting against Indian rule in the Himalayan region since 1989.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, with both claiming the territory in its entirety. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the armed uprising and subsequent Indian military crackdown.

India and Pakistan forces have also been exchanging intermittent fire across an undisputed part of their border in the south of Kashmir since October last year. Fighting picked up again early this month after a brief respite.

India routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting armed militants, including by providing covering fire as they cross the border — a charge Islamabad denies.