AFP, Srinagar

Violence in the Himalayan region of Indian Kashmir, wracked by insurgency for two decades, was down 25 percent this year, the area's police chief said Wednesday.

In a NewYear message, the director general of police in the Jammu and Kashmir region said the number of violent incidents had fallen dramatically from 2008 levels, confirming signs of a return to normal life.

"The graph of terror violence in the state is rapidly coming down year after year," Kuldeep

Khuda wrote.

In a reminder of the ongoing volatility, however, militants shot dead four policemen in an ambush near the northern town of Sopore on Wednesday, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of the Kashmiri summer capital Srinagar.

"Three CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel died on the spot, while a fourth personnel was injured and died in hospital later," police officer Abdul Waheed said.

He said two rifles of the slain personnel were missing and presumed to have been snatched by the militants.