Six soldiers wounded in explosion in Kashmir

Suspected Islamic guerrillas triggered an explosion Friday in Indian-controlled Kashmir , wounding six paramilitary soldiers, while a gunfight elsewhere in the region left two suspected militants dead, officials said. An improvised device exploded in Balochpore, a suburb of Srinagar , hitting a paramilitary truck and wounding six security men traveling in it, said Dalip Singh, a spokesman of Central Reserve Police Force.

Photo: Six soldiers wounded in explosion in Kashmir

Six soldiers wounded in explosion in Kashmir

Singh blamed the explosion on Islamic militants fighting for Kashmir 's independence, or its merger with Pakistan . Hezb-ul-Mujahedeen, the largest Kashmiri rebel group, claimed responsibility in a telephone call to a local news agency, Current News Service.

The condition of one trooper was serious, said Riyaz Rangrez, a doctor at the hospital where the wounded were being treated. Separately, two suspected militants were killed in a gun battle near Shopiyan village after soldiers raided a rebel hide-out early Friday, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Srinagar, police officer Imtiyaz Ahmad said. The 16-year Islamic insurgency in Jammu-Kashmir , India 's only Muslim-majority state, has claimed more than 67,000 lives, reports the AP.

N.U.