Indian soldiers wounded in Kashmir blast

At least 20 Indian soldiers have been wounded in Kashmir when militants detonated a bomb in a shop as the troops' vehicle passed…

At least 20 Indian soldiers have been wounded in Kashmir when militants detonated a bomb in a shop as the troops' vehicle passed by.

Police said Tuesday's explosion occurred in the Lawaypora area, on the outskirts of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. A civilian was also wounded in the blast.

The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, one of Kashmir's frontline guerrilla groups, called newspaper offices in Srinagar and claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack came a day after authorities said separatist violence had fallen since India and Pakistan began a ceasefire last month along a military control line that divides the Himalayan region between the nuclear-armed rivals.

READ MORE

Dozens of people, most of them civilians, have been wounded in several blasts in Kashmir this month. Most were grenade attacks.

Islamic rebels fighting Indian rule in the Muslim-majority state since 1989 have said they would not observe the truce, aimed at building on warming relations between the neighbours, which went to the brink of war over Kashmir last year.

The truce on the 740 kilometre Line of Control has held, however, and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is due to make a rare trip to Islamabad next week for a summit of South Asian nations.

But bilateral talks are likely to be some way off. India insists Pakistan end support to Kashmiri rebel groups.

Pakistan denies it foments violence in Kashmir and has repeatedly called for peace talks to resolve the dispute. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the revolt so far.