An 18-hour gun battle between Indian troops and a group of suspected militants in the disputed region of Kashmir left three people dead.

Two police officials and a soldier were also wounded during the skirmish on the outskirts of the city of Srinagar, said Sanjay Sharma, a spokesperson for India's paramilitary forces

The three dead were suspected rebels who supported demands for the territory to either be united entirely under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, he added.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan but both countries claim the territory in its entirety.

They were shot after Indian troops laid siege to the neighbourhood in one of Kashmir's major cities.

Mr Sharma said that they had received a tip that militants were hiding in the area.

Local residents attempted to march to the site of the fighting in solidarity with the rebels, in a show of anti-India sentiment.

Government forces fired warning shots, shotgun pellets and tear gas at the stone-throwing protesters. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Local residents said that Indian forces blasted at least five houses with explosives during the fighting, a common tactic used by the paramilitary troops in Kashmir.

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Rebels in the country have been fighting against Indian control since 1989.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in subsequent clashes and during the ensuing crackdown by the Indian military.

India accuses Pakistan of arming the rebels, a charge which Pakistan denies.