SRINAGAR: Officials say Indian government forces have killed three suspected rebels in a gun battle in the disputed Himalayan region of Indian-held Kashmir.

Indian paramilitary officer OS Charak says the fighting began early Tuesday after troops received intelligence about the presence of militants in southern Rajpora village.

There was no immediate statement from any of the rebel groups fighting against Indian rule since 1989.

A police officer said on customary condition of anonymity that, as the fighting raged, hundreds of people in neighboring villages staged anti-India protests and clashed with troops.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, and both claim the region in its entirety.