Three killed in fresh Kashmir violence

An Indian Kashmiri Muslim woman mourns over the body of a suspected Islamic militant who was killed in a shoot-out near Srinagar yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

The deaths took place in the district of Pulwama early Saturday when the Indian army raided a rebel hide-out, a police spokesman said.

"As the soldiers raided a hideout, militants opened fire killing an army officer and wounding a soldier," the spokesman said, adding that two rebels were killed in the retaliatory action.

In the summer capital Srinagar, nine civilians and a policeman were hurt in a grenade attack Saturday by suspected rebels in a busy commercial street, police chief of Srinagar Syed Mujtaba said.

"The grenade was aimed at police but mostly injured civilians," he said.

The noise from the blasts sparked panic in the street as rescuers removed injured to hospital.

Mujataba said one of the wounded was in critical condition.

On Friday, 12 people were hurt in Srinagar in two similar blasts.