Jammu and Kashmir's militant group Hizbul Mujahideen said on Friday 14 of its activists were killed in a fierce battle with Indian troops. The militant death toll from the clash on Wednesday in Bandipora was the biggest in years, said police. An Indian Army spokesman said 10 bodies had been recovered so far from the battle site, where witnesses said soldiers fired rockets and destroyed six houses. In a press release, Hizbul said that our information suggests 14 mujahideen were killed along with a number of security personnel. The militant group usually issues casualty statements to pay homage to its dead. However, the army said only three soldiers were hurt in the clash and that the houses caught fire accidentally."On Friday, we found six more militant bodies from the damaged houses, after four were found earlier," said army spokesman Lt Col VK Batra, adding, "We're still going through the rubble to find more bodies." In separate gun battles five more militants were killed overnight, said Batra without giving further details.