A Kashmiri Muslim protester shouts slogans amid tear gas smoke during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday Oct. 30
Three heavily armed rebels stormed an army camp in the Indian portion of Kashmir yesterday and were killed in a fierce gunbattle with soldiers, the army said.
A civilian worker with the army also was killed and an army officer was wounded in the fighting, which took place close to the heavily militarized line of control dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan, said another officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
He said the militants used grenades and gunfire to attack the camp, located about 150 kilometers northwest of Indian Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar. The camp houses the Indian army’s headquarters in the frontier region.
A reinforcement of army commandos led the counterassault, and the intense exchange of gunfire left some barracks and a vehicle on fire, the officer said.
There was no independent confirmation of the incident. No rebel group fighting Indian rule immediately issued any statement.
There also was no confirmation of an earlier report that an oil depot inside the camp had caught fire during the incident.
Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising and Indian military crackdown. Aijaz Hussain, Srinagar, AP
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