SRINAGAR: Police say suspected militants have ambushed an armored police car, killing four policemen in the Indian-administered Kashmir. 

Police officer Imtiaz Hussain says the policemen were on a routine patrol in Hygam village on Friday. He says they stopped their car and stepped out of the vehicle when the rebels opened fire.

Hygam is 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir. No rebel group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Nearly a dozen rebel groups fighting for an independent Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan often target Indian forces, though militant attacks have decreased dramatically in recent years.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. Both claim it in entirety and have fought two wars over the region since 1947.