Police said three soldiers died and three others were critically injured in a landmine blast on a highway near Patan town, 30 km (18 miles) north of Srinagar, the Kashmiri summer capital.

There were no claims of responsibility but police said they suspected mujahedin fighting to end Indian rule in Kashmir.

Traffic on the highway linking Srinagar was suspended after the blast.

In another incident, eight mujahedin were killed in Sunderbag, some 85 km (53 miles) south of Srinagar, during a shootout with troops. "It was a joint operation between the paramilitary and regular army troops. Six AK-47s have been recovered along with a large haul of ammunition," a spokesman for the Border Security Force said. "Combing operations to flush out militants in the area are continuing," he said.

More than 25,000 people have died in the decade-long jihad in Kashmir.