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MUZAFFARABAD, Sunday (AFP)

The Pakistan military said it had beaten back Indian troops building new posts along the de facto border in disputed Kashmir after a series of deadly battles.

The fighting claimed the life of at least one Pakistani soldier and four Indian troops, according to sources from both sides.

Heavy exchanges of artillery fire occurred along the Neelum valley where Indian troops made another effort to establish a post along the Line of Control (LoC), or the de facto border, the Pakistan military said in a statement.

"Having failed in their attempts, the Indians made another attempt to re-establish the post, which has also been successfully beaten back, causing considerable casualties to the enemy," the statement said.

Pakistan military sources said an army major was killed in the latest fighting while a Pakistan woman was also killed Friday, raising to eight the number of civilians who have died in shelling since Monday.

Police sources in India said four soldiers were killed in overnight artillery and mortar fire in Indian-administered Kashmir, hours ahead of a visit to the area by Defence Minister George Fernandes. Four more Indian soldiers were injured in the latest round of shelling which started four days ago.

The Indian army casualties were reported from the Machil sector of the northern Kupwara district, which borders Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Police said Pakistani troops continued to target Indian posts along the LoC. Two Indian army posts in Machil were hit by artillery and mortars fired across the LoC.

When he arrived in Srinagar, Fernandes also said Pakistani troops were constantly targeting Indian pickets including in the Siachen glacier area, the world's highest battle-field.

"Constant firing has been on for a long period (in Siachen) with occasional breaks," Fernandes told reporters.

Fernandes said he had visited three Indian army posts on the glacier Saturday morning. On the Pakistan side of Kashmir, the military Friday claimed it had "almost" silenced Indian gun positions across the LoC after four days.

"They were continuously targeting the civilian population from Monday without any provocation," a military official told AFP. "Today our side responded effectively and almost silenced their guns."

Meanwhile, the Indian military claimed an officer and soldier of its Border Security Force (BSF) and four Islamic militants were among six people killed in two separate shootouts overnight in Kashmir.

Earlier India ruled out de-escalation on its tense borders with Pakistan, saying it would only happen once the "overall situation was normalised".

It also warned of an appropriate "reply" if Pakistan tried to step into Indian territory.

"De-escalation is something which is a very big issue," Fernandes told reporters during the visit to Srinagar.

"One can talk of de-escalation when the overall situation (is) normalised."

"As far as the infiltration is concerned there are ups and downs," Fernandes said.

General V.G. Patankar, the Indian army chief in the Kashmir valley said infiltration had come down "a little bit earlier".

"But it has started again," he told reporters, while accompanying Fernandes at a function at the headquarters of Kilo Force - the Indian army's counter-insurgency wing in north and central Kashmir.

He said a rise in cross-border firing by Pakistani troops over the past few days "may be to facilitate infiltration of militants" who India says sneak in while the Indian army is distracted.

Fernandes told Indian troops that India was capable of giving a "befitting reply" to Pakistan if it stepped into Indian territory.

"If war is not taking place that is because our soldiers are on the borders," said Fernandes.

"But if the enemy thinks it can step in we can give her a befitting reply.

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