Kashmir rebels ambush Indian paramilitary soldiers; 3 killed

SRINAGAR, India – Rebels in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir ambushed a convoy of Indian paramilitary soldiers in a busy market Friday, killing at least three and injuring three others, police said.

Police officer Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani said the militants sprayed bullets at the Border Security Force convoy in southern Bijbehara town.

The rebels, who are fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan, often attack Indian targets in the region.

Paramilitary officer Nalin Prabhat said the insurgents fired at the convoy from an alley in the town’s marketplace and later fled into a residential area.

He said police and soldiers cordoned off the area and reinforcements rushed to track down the militants.

In a telephone call to a local news agency, Current New Service, a man who identified himself as the operations spokesman for Kashmir’s largest militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen, said it attacked the convoy.

Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India but is claimed by both. The countries have fought two wars over the disputed territory since they gained independence from Britain in 1947.

The rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the subsequent Indian military crackdown.