Myanmar rejects claims Indian forces cross border in pursuit of rebels

Myanmar has rejected assertions that Indian armed forces entered the country earlier this week in pursuit of separatists, saying foreign fighters would never be allowed to use Myanmar territory to stage attacks.

India's junior minister for information and broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, said the army attacked rebels just over the border with Myanmar on Tuesday, underlining New Delhi's resolve to fight terrorism beyond the country's borders.

However a statement from the presidential office in Myanmar, citing information from troops in the northwest border region, said fighting had only broken out on the Indian side.

The strike was carried out in response to the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in an ambush in Manipur last week.

The Indian army said in a statement that it received intelligence that rebel forces were plotting more attacks.