Gun battle at Kashmir mosque

The Amarnath pilgrimage takes place every year

Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say three militants have been killed and nine soldiers injured in a fierce gun battle at an abandoned mosque.

The eight-hour shoot-out in the town of Banihal came after heavily-armed rebels took residents hostage in their home near the mosque overnight, police said.

They moved from one house to another and started firing... before taking refuge in the mosque

Local police official

The siege ended as evening fell, and troops are now hunting a number of militants who witnesses say escaped.

In the last 24 hours, at least three soldiers and three other militants have been killed in separate outbreaks of violence in Kashmir.

Militant groups are fighting to end Indian rule in the disputed territory.

Hindu pilgrimage

Security forces cordoned off the area around the old mosque in Banihal after a tip-off that militants planned to attack an army convoy on the main Jammu-Srinagar highway nearby.

The road forms part of the route for the annual pilgrimage to the Hindu shrine at Amarnath, which begins on Friday, and tight security is in place to prevent any attacks.

Tens of thousands of Hindus make their way up to the Amarnath caves, some 14,000 feet (4,270m) above Jammu in the Himalayan mountains, every July and August.

At least 13 people were killed when suspected militants targeted pilgrims on last year's pilgrimage.

Kashmir attacks

The gun battle at the mosque is the latest in a series of attacks in recent days, which the authorities have blamed on militants.

On Saturday, 28 Hindu civilians were killed when suspected militants attacked a slum area in Jammu.

The official Indian response to that incident has been muted, although officials have said they suspect the involvement of Pakistani-backed militants.

India and Pakistan came close to war after an attack on an army camp in Kashmir in May.

Tensions only subsided after concerted international pressure.