ISLAMABAD, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The i army said on Monday that four soldiers were killed in Indian forces' firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region.

An army statement said that three Indian soldiers were also killed when Pakistani troops retaliated.

"Four Pakistan Army soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom) along LoC in Jandrot, Kotli sector," a statement from the army's Inter-Services Public Relations said.

"Troops were busy in Line communication maintenance when they were fired upon and hit by heavy mortar round," the statement further said, adding exchange of fire "killed three Indian soldiers while few injured."

Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC and the Working Boundary in 2003. Both, however, routinely accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

There has been escalation along the LoC and Working Boundary since the militants attacked an army base in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers on Sept. 18, 2016.

The Indian military had blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group for the attack and also pointed fingers at Pakistan. However, Islamabad rejected the charges and suggested an independent investigation.