Indian officials say their forces killed at least three suspected militants in separate incidents in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Officials said Thursday that two suspected militants died in Kupwara district when they allegedly tried to cross the Line of Control, which divides the disputed Himalayan region between India and Pakistan.

Indian forces killed another militant in a separate incident elsewhere in Kupwara.

Last week in the same district, Indian authorities said troops and infiltrating militants clashed in a deadly gunbattle.

India says it regularly intercepts Islamist rebels sneaking into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani side of the disputed territory, which is claimed in full by both nations.

Militants have been fighting Indian rule in Kashmir since 1989, seeking independence for the territory or a merger with Pakistan. More than 47,000 people have died in the violence.