Quake deals big blow to Kashmir rebels

Indian intelligence officials, citing intercepted radio traffic between various guerrilla groups, said rebels in the Pakistani zone of the state were badly hit.

"There are reports of damage to militant camps on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC)," K. Srinivasan, a top intelligence officer from India's Border Security Force told AFP in Srinagar, capital of Indian Kashmir.

About 70 earthquake-related rebel deaths were confirmed by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, formerly the outlawed jihadi group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The LoC, a heavily-militarised ceasefire line, divides Kashmir between rivals India and Pakistan. Thousands of Indian soldiers guard its snow-blown ridges to prevent Islamist guerrillas from sneaking across.

The Muslim rebels, who launched an armed struggle against Indian rule disputed Kashmir in 1989 that has claimed at least 44,000 lives, are normally active in the summer months when alpine passes are clear of snow.

Srinivasan, who has led counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, said the damage to rebel camps will make it difficult to sustain operations against Indian troops before the winter snows come.