Soldiers, Police Killed in Predawn Attack in Indian Kashmir

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2014-12-05

Indian police say a predawn suicide attack on an army camp in Kashmir has left three army soldiers, two policemen and two militants dead.

An army officer said the rebels were hurling grenades and firing automatic weapons trying to enter the camp in Uri around 3 a.m. Friday.

An official said a wounded police officer has been airlifted to an army hospital in India's regional capital, Srinagar, about 100 kilometers from Uri.

The official also said militants were still believed to be inside the camp, which is located along the line of control separating the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of Kashmir.

The attack comes ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kashmir Monday.

The prime minister's Bharatiya Janata Party has waged a fierce political battle to win control of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature. The multi-phase election concludes December 23.

Turnout was high for the first phase of voting on November 25, when more than 70 percent of the electorate cast their ballots.

The Hindu nationalist party has traditionally had no base in the Kashmir Valley, where residents' resentment against Indian rule runs high.

About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for independence or to merge the territory with Pakistan.

Source: Voice of America

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