Shelling and small-arms fire killed an army officer and wounded three civilians along the Kashmir border ahead of a visit today by the US defence secretary aimed at defusing tensions between India and Pakistan, an Indian army spokesman said.

Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said today that India would consider joint monitoring of the disputed Kashmir border with its long-time rival Pakistan.

India’s prime minister held talks with senior Cabinet ministers and military officials in disputed Kashmir today, as shelling between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan pounded villages on both sides of the border.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee told soldiers on the disputed Kashmir border today to prepare for a ‘‘decisive battle’’ against Islamic insurgents he said are backed by Pakistan.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to travel to India and Pakistan today to encourage both countries to pull back from the brink of war.

Suspected Islamic militants have killed eight people, including two army soldiers in Kashmir and Punjab.