Attackers ambush security convoy in Indian-held Kashmir, killing two

SRINAGAR: Attackers ambushed a convoy carrying paramilitary forces in Indian-held Kashmir on Friday, killing two security officers and wounding seven others, police said.

The attackers escaped after carrying out the attack on the outskirts of Srinagar, a senior police said, adding security forces were searching for the gunmen.

The two dead included a paramilitary officer and a policeman who died in hospital.



Militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir have carried out several attacks in recent weeks, the largest of which was a Sept 18 raid on an Indian army base that killed 19 soldiers.

India blamed that attack on militants crossing over from the part of Kashmir controlled by Pakistan, quickly ratcheting up tensions between the two countries. Pakistan denies any involvement in the assault.

New Delhi said in late September that its troops had crossed into Pakistan's side of Kashmir and launched retaliatory "surgical strikes" to kill suspected militants, an operation Pakistan says never took place.

On Wednesday, gunmen shot dead a political party worker in held Kashmir, hours after two suspected militants were killed by armed forces following a 56-hour operation on the edge of Srinagar.

The attacks on Indian security targets come amid three months of protests, spearheaded by local youth in the region that erupted after Indian forces killed a Kashmiri leader in early July.