An army patrol noticed suspicious movement along the LOC in the early hours of Sunday, Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.
"Army troops were rushed to the area and militant movement was tracked by surveillance devices. A heavy gun battle followed in which three terrorists were killed," he said.
Four army soldiers were killed in the gunbattle, he said.This is the highest number of army casualties along the Line of Control in Kashmir since April this year. Five Indian troops and an equal number of terrorists were killed in April this year when armed terrorists were challenged by Indian troops in the area.