10 Police Officers Killed, 6 Hurt in Kashmir Land Mine Explosion
A land mine exploded Friday in violence-ridden Kashmir, killing 10 policemen and seriously wounding six more, police said.
About 20 officers were on a routine patrol near Srinagar, the provincial summer capital, when the mine went off.
Also Friday, an unidentified gunman killed a policeman guarding the ancestral home of Farooq Abdullah, the chief minister of Kashmir, the United News of India reported. No one claimed responsibility, but police blamed separatist militants.
The killings took place one day after the head of a counterinsurgency unit was killed in a mine blast. Militants fighting for Kashmir’s independence or union with Pakistan claimed responsibility.
Kashmir is the only predominantly Muslim region in mostly Hindu India and has been the center of a 10-year insurgency by several militant groups. India accuses Pakistan of fomenting the separatist movement, a charge Pakistan denies.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
