Guerrillas Set Off Grenade, Car Bomb in Kashmir; 11 Are Killed, 19 Hurt

The guerrilla group that brought hopes of peace to Kashmir declared war again Thursday, setting off a decoy grenade that lured police officers and then slaughtering them with a powerful car bomb. At least 11 people were killed and 19 wounded.

The Hizbul Moujahedeen, the main Muslim militant group in this Himalayan state, claimed responsibility for the attack in which 10 police officers and one photojournalist died. It was the Pakistani-based group’s first strike since it called off a cease-fire Tuesday and canceled talks with the Indian government aimed at restoring peace in the Kashmir valley.

Before Thursday’s lethal blast, the guerrillas set off a hand grenade explosion that drew soldiers and journalists to Lal Chowk, the business district in Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s Jammu and Kashmir state. An army colonel and a soldier were hurt in the first explosion, police said.

Ten minutes later, eyewitnesses said, the second explosion roared out from a car near a bank. Several journalists filming damage from the first explosion were among the wounded, and other officers were hurt in addition to the 10 who died.

In all, at least 20 people were injured, said Jamshied Ahmed, a doctor at a police facility. One victim died later.