Kashmiri militants killed four Indian police Friday in an ambush on a patrol near the town of Sopore in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Kashmiri militants killed four Indian police Friday in an ambush on a patrol near the town of Sopore in Indian-administered Kashmir, a senior officer said.

The four had just descended from their vehicle to conduct a routine patrol in the village of Hygam when they came under attack from gunmen, Superintendent Imtiyaz Hussain told Agence France Presse.

A hunt for the attackers was now under way, the officer said.

The village is around 45 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is the first deadly attack in the region since March 13 when a group of militants disguised as cricketers killed five paramilitary police in an ambush in Srinagar.

Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan along a UN-monitored line of control, but both claim it in full and have fought two wars over its control.