Pakistani army officials say Indian forces fired across the de facto border in the disputed region of Kashmir early Wednesday, killing three Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistan's army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told reporters that the firing was “unprovoked.” He said the soldiers had been moving between posts in the Neelam valley before the firing erupted across the so-called Line of Control that divides Kashmir.

However, a spokesman for the Indian army told the Reuters news agency that the Pakistani forces had opened fire first and the Indians retaliated.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both.

Muslim separatists have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from Hindu-majority India or a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan.