At least 17 die in Kashmir gun battle

At least 17 civilians and soldiers were killed today in a gun battle between Islamic militants and the military at an Indian army base in Kashmir, police said.

Three suspected militants wearing army uniforms got off of a bus outside an army camp at Kaluchak, six miles south of Jammu, the winter capital of India’s northern Jammu-Kashmir state.

The rebels opened fire on the soldiers, said Subhash Raina, a senior superintendent of police. The Indian soldiers returned fire. Seven passengers getting off the bus were killed in the crossfire, Raina said.

The militants then entered the residential quarters of the army camp and shot dead four soldiers, three of their wives and three children, Raina said.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack came as US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca prepared to meet with top Indian officials today to urge New Delhi to resume dialogue with Islamabad in an effort to end the six-month standoff between the South Asian nuclear rivals.

More than a dozen Islamic militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence or its merger with Pakistan since 1989.