Indian army says 3 of its workers killed in Kashmir attack

SRINAGAR, India – The Indian army says three civilian labourers working with an army road construction crew were killed in a pre-dawn militant attack near the border with Pakistan in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

An Indian army statement on Monday said the militants fired at a camp of the General Engineering Reserve Force in the frontier Battal area.

The statement said another labourer was wounded, while a search was on for the attackers.

Both police and army officials declined to comment on the incident. There was no independent confirmation of the incident.

It was not clear whether the suspected militants crossed from the Pakistani side to launch the attack.

India and Pakistan each administer a portion of Kashmir, but both claim the disputed Himalayan territory in its entirety.

In Indian-controlled Kashmir, rebel groups have been fighting for either independence or a merger with Pakistan since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the armed uprising and ensuing Indian military crackdown.