Two militant commanders were suspected to have been killed in a cave by a Himalayan Black bear

Two armed militant commanders in the violence-torn Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were killed by a bear after accidentally choosing its cave as their hiding place.

Troops in Shopian district found the two bodies while patrolling the area, an Indian defence spokesman said.

"Both bodies were mauled badly by some wild animal, and apparently by a bear, as the area is inhabited by Himalayan Black bear," Colonel J S Brar said.

The militants were armed with Kalashnikovs but did not get a chance to use them.

"The attack seems to have been so violent that both the militants got no chance to fire back at the wild animal," Colonel Brar added.

The cave appears to be have been the den of the bear. More than 300 incidents of man-animal conflicts have been reported in the state last year but this is the first time militants have been killed by a wild animal.

Thousands of people have lost their lives due to militancy in the past two decades in Jammu and Kashmir.

The separatist movement first started in the state in 1989 and soon took a violent turn with many young people joining Pakistan-based terror organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Kashmir issue has soured relations between the two countries time and again in the past.

One part of the state is under Pakistani rule while the rest belongs to India. Many Pakistan and Kashmir-based organisations have been demanding that India free the state which would allow it to become a separate country.