Militants Launch Deadly Attack in Kashmir

By RFE/RL
March 13, 2013

Police say two gunmen stormed a paramilitary camp in the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir on March 13, leaving five troops and the militants dead.

Police official Manoj Kumar Shree said 10 more people were wounded -- five members of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force and five civilians.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack in Srinagar, though suspicion fell on Muslim separatists.

Officials said the attack began when two gunmen disguised as cricket players got out of a car and mingled with children playing cricket before opening fire on the nearby paramilitary base.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in its entirety by both.

The incident was the first major rebel attack in Srinagar since Muslim militants raided a hotel in January 2010.

Although militant attacks have declined recently, the Muslim-majority region has been tense since the February 9 hanging of a local man, Afzal Guru, for plotting a 2001 attack on India's Parliament.

Many Kashmiris believe Guru was innocent. Militant groups warned they would carry out attacks to avenge his execution.

India has long blamed Pakistan for training and arming the militants, a charge Pakistan denies. Muslim militants want either a separate state or a union with Muslim-majority Pakistan.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters