Indian military base under attack in disputed Kashmir

Suspected rebels kill at least two Indian soldiers in the ongoing assault at Sunjuwan army camp in the southern Jammu region of India-administered Kashmir, officials say.

Indian troops enter the Sunjuwan Military Station in Jammu region of the disputed territory on February 10, 2018, following an attack by suspected rebels.
AFP

Indian troops enter the Sunjuwan Military Station in Jammu region of the disputed territory on February 10, 2018, following an attack by suspected rebels.

Two Indian soldiers were killed on Saturday in an ongoing gunfight after suspected rebels attacked a military base in the Jammu region of India-administered Kashmir, officials said. 

The pre-dawn attack left six others injured, after armed fighters stormed Sunjuwan Army camp near Jammu, the second largest city in the disputed Himalayan region close to the border with Pakistan.

"Two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) have been killed and six others injured in Jammu militant attack," said Abdul Rehman Veeri, a senior minister in the region.

Jammu's regional police chief S D Singh said the attack kicked off around 4:55 am (2325 GMT Friday) when guards came under a hail of bullets near the base's boundary wall.

As of noon, fighting was still ongoing, said Singh, adding, the site was cordoned off and surrounded by police and army units called in as reinforcements. 

"The fire was retaliated. The number of militants isn't known," he said. "They've been cornered in one of the family quarters."

There was no immediate confirmation on the number of attackers or the group they belong to.

Hindu-majority Jammu, located in the foothills of the mountainous region, is relatively peaceful but has repeatedly seen assaults on military bases close to the region's border with Pakistan. 

Seven soldiers were killed in a similar attack in Jammu after suspected rebels in police uniforms stormed a major army base in November 2016.

Kashmir has been divided between Pakistan and India since their independence from Britain in 1947. Both claim the territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.

Rebel groups have for years fought the roughly half a million Indian soldiers deployed in the region, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan. 

Around 100,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown

Anti-India sentiment runs deep among Kashmir's mostly Muslim population, with most people supporting the rebel cause. 

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