Fresh attack in Kashmir

Security forces are on alert in Srinagar

Security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir have shot dead three suspected militants who they say killed four civilians earlier on Tuesday.

The attack blamed on the gunmen took place hours after Indian troops foiled an attempt to storm an army camp in the northern town of Sopore.

Indian security forces have been on alert in Kashmir and elsewhere after a shoot-out in the capital, Delhi, on Sunday, in which two suspected militants were killed.

Officials alleged the two men were from Pakistan and had planned a major attack to coincide with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Police in Delhi were on alert after Sunday's attack

Police say the suspected Muslim militants opened fire on a bus in the frontier district of Poonch.

Four villagers were killed and one was injured.

The security forces cordoned off the area and began a search for the attackers, which led to the shoot-out later in the day.

On Monday, the Indian army said it had killed two militants and foiled a suicide attack on an army camp near the northern town of Sopore in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The authorities say the two militants came to the camp's main gate early in the morning and attempted to storm it, but troops were alert to the threat and shot them dead.

Capital shifts

Meanwhile, the offices of the newly sworn in government in Indian-administered Kashmir have opened in Jammu, the state's winter capital.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has brought fresh hope

The new Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was formally welcomed at the state secretariat which will operate out of Jammu for the next six months, before moving back to Srinagar.

In a short speech, Mr Sayeed said his government was committed to giving the people of Kashmir a "responsive administration".

He said that the Indian prime minister had promised him all co-operation.

Mr Sayeed is heading a coalition government in the state after defeating the National Conference, which has dominated Kashmiri politics since independence.

He has promised to take action on human rights violations and also wind up an unpopular counter-insurgency force - a programme which has raised hopes in the violence-hit state.