At least 12 militants in Kashmir have been killed in a gunbattle between Indian troops and suspected rebels who crossed over from Pakistan.

The Indian army says a clash Saturday along the de facto border that splits Kashmir between India and Pakistan has also killed at least one Indian army officer.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both. Since 1989, Muslim separatists have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from Hindu-majority India or a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan.

The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two wars over the Himalayan region since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Thousands have been killed in the insurgency.

Also Saturday, 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a minibus skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge in Kashmir's Poonch district. Many of the injured were in critical condition.

It is not clear what caused the crash.