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10 Killed in Militant Attack on Indian Base in Kashmir Region

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An Indian Army soldier takes position during an encounter with armed suspected militants at Pindi Khattar village in Arnia border sector, 43 kilometers (27 miles) south of Jammu, India, Nov. 27, 2014.
An Indian Army soldier takes position during an encounter with armed suspected militants at Pindi Khattar village in Arnia border sector, 43 kilometers (27 miles) south of Jammu, India, Nov. 27, 2014.

Gunmen wearing army uniforms on Thursday attacked an Indian army base near the border with Pakistan, leaving 10 people dead in the worst militant violence in the disputed state of Kashmir in more than a year.

The incident came as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif had a brief meeting at a summit of South Asian leaders in Nepal that clinched a deal to create a regional electricity grid.

Kashmir and Jammu
Kashmir and Jammu

Four or five gunmen split into two groups upon arriving in the town of Arnia, about 4 kilometers (3 miles) from the border, with one group attacking an army bunker and the other holed up in a house, a senior army officer said.

Three soldiers and three civilians were shot dead, said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, adding, “My condolences to the families.”

He said four militants were also killed.

Area in dispute

India and Pakistan fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.

Muslim separatists have been fighting Indian forces in the Indian portion of Kashmir since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels in the portion it controls and sending them to the Indian side, a claim its neighbor denies.

The gunmen did not infiltrate from the Pakistani side of the border, a senior Border Security Force official said.

“They came in a car to Arnia and took shelter in a bunker and targeted the army,” he said.

The last major attack in Kashmir was in September last year, when nine people were killed in a gun battle a day after the leaders of the two countries agreed to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The incident comes a day ahead of a visit planned by Modi to Jammu, where he will address two election rallies amid phased state polls that conclude on Dec 20.

The attack was a deliberate attempt to disrupt ties between the rivals, Abdullah said on social media website Twitter.

“Some things never change,” he added. “Ind & Pak PMs at the same venue and a fierce encounter breaks out.”

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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