Explosions in Kashmir: 6 wounded

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.

Photo: Explosions in Kashmir: 6 wounded

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.

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.

I.L.