Gunmen hurling grenades killed 17 soldiers in a raid on an army base in Indian Kashmir Sunday, with India blaming Pakistan-based militants for the worst such attack in the disputed region for over a decade.

The militants broke into the base near the de facto border with Pakistan before dawn and lobbed grenades at tents and barracks housing soldiers, before opening fire with automatic weapons, the army said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those behind the "cowardly" and "despicable" hours-long attack near the town of Uri that also left four militants dead and scores of soldiers injured.

"We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished," Modi said in a series of tweets.

No one has so far claimed responsibility, but Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was disappointed with "Pakistan's continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups".

"Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such," Singh said on Twitter, adding that the militants "were highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped".

The raid was likely to further sour ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours given the high death toll and heightened tensions in the Indian-administered region following weeks of deadly clashes between residents and security forces.

India regularly accuses its arch-rival Pakistan of arming and sending rebels across the heavily militarised border that divides Kashmir between the two countries, to launch attacks on its forces. Islamabad denies the claims.

Sunday's attack was one of the bloodiest on soldiers since an armed rebellion against Indian rule erupted in 1989. Militants killed 30 soldiers and their families in a suicide attack in Kaluchak in the Himalayan region in 2002.

Most of the soldiers died Sunday after their tents and other housing caught fire during the raid on the brigade headquarters near the border known as the Line of Control (LoC), said Ranbir Singh, the army's director-general of military operations.

Lieutenant-General Singh blamed Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, saying he had already expressed "serious concerns" to his Pakistani counterpart.

"The killed terrorists, they were all foreign terrorists and as per the initial reports, they belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad," Singh told a briefing.

India blamed the same group for an audacious attack in January on an Indian air force base in the northern state of Punjab that left seven soldiers dead.

The Muslim-majority region is currently in the grip of deadly civilian unrest that has lasted for more than two months. Protesting residents are clashing almost daily with security forces in the worst crowd violence since 2010.

At least 87 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the protests against Indian rule, sparked by the killing of a popular rebel leader in a gunbattle with soldiers on July 8.

The government has been coming under growing pressure over the level of casualties and over the security forces' use of shotguns loaded with pellets which can blind demonstrators.

Thousands of angry demonstrators defied a curfew on Saturday in Kashmir to attend the funeral of a schoolboy whose body was found riddled with pellets, sparking fresh clashes.

The Indian government accuses Pakistan of stoking the unrest in the region.

On Sunday residents of Uri town saw smoke billowing from the nearby base and heard continuous rounds of heavy gunfire that lasted several hours, while army helicopters circled overhead.

Twenty-eight injured soldiers were airlifted to a military hospital in the region's main city of Srinagar, four of them in critical condition, an army officer said.

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

Rebel groups which have been fighting Indian troops in Kashmir since 1989 seek either independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan.

Soldiers have been deployed in Kashmir for decades and currently number around 500,000. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting. </s> A soldier stands guard during a gun battle with armed militants at Nagrota Army base, near Jammu on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: AFP

In a separate incident, two militants were killed in Ramgarh Sector

Seven soldiers, including two officers, and six militants were killed in twin pre-dawn attacks launched by fresh infiltrators near Jammu on Tuesday, coinciding with the takeover of General Qamar Javed Bajwa as new Pakistan Army chief across the border.

A group of militants launched a fidayeen (suicide) attack on the White Knight Corps of northern command’s strategic 16 Corps — one of the biggest Army formations meant for Jammu, the Pir Panjal and the Chenab valleys — located at Nagrota, around 20 km from Jammu city.

Around 5.30 a.m., just before the crack of dawn, the fidayeen took advantage of the darkness to sneak in and spread themselves into the concrete structures inside the Army installation.

“The terrorists were heavily armed and disguised in police uniform. They targeted an Army unit just 3 km from the Corps headquarters in Nagrota and forced their way into the Officers Mess by throwing grenades and firing at the sentries,” said a spokesman of the Northern Command.

While four soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the first round of firing, three more were killed during a rescue operation.

“The terrorists entered two buildings, occupied by officers and families. This led to a hostage-like situation. All, including 12 soldiers, two children and two women, were rescued. However, one officer and two jawans were killed in the operation,” said the spokesman.

The bodies of three terrorists have been recovered so far. The Army, according to the official, is slowly sanitising the area to avoid any booby traps. A chopper was pressed into service to locate the positions of the militants. “The operation is in progress,” he said.

In another attack, a Border Security Force patrol came under attack from a group of militants in Ramgarh sector, near the International Border in Samba district, 55 km from the first attack.

A BSF official said the militants were hiding near a tubewell, close to a BSF border outpost. “Three militants were killed in the gunfight,” said the official. Four BSF personnel, including DIG B.S. Kasana, were injured.

Two LeT groups involved in Jammu attack

Two groups of the Lashkar-e-Taiba were involved in the twin attacks in Jammu on Tuesday.

Army sources said preliminary investigation suggested that the two groups crossed into Jammu only on Monday night to carry out these attacks.

Speaking to Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, Northern Army Commander, Governor N.N. Vohra expressed serious concern over repeated terrorist attacks on the security forces establishment.

“Pakistan is continuing with the attempts to exacerbate the situation while India was seeking to restore peace and normalcy,” said Mr. Vohra, while urging all the commanders to enhance surveillance on every front.

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh termed the attacks a “desperate bid to push the State into chaos.” </s> SRINAGAR, India -- Suspected rebels using guns and grenades sneaked into an army base in Indian-controlled Kashmir early Sunday and killed at least 17 soldiers in the deadliest attack on a military base in the disputed Himalayan region in recent years, the army said.

Four rebels were killed as the soldiers returned gunfire after the pre-dawn attack on the base, near the highly militarized Line of Control dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Loud explosions were heard and several barracks caught fire in the initial hours of the attack. Afterward, military helicopters hovered over the base as the army conducted what it described as "mopping up" operations.

Officials said at least 30 soldiers were wounded, including about a dozen who were in critical condition.

At the time of the attack, the army base in the heavily forested garrison town of Uri had a large number of troops because soldiers were handing over duties to a new battalion, the Indian army said in a statement.

The base houses the Indian army's regional brigade headquarters along the de facto border separating Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

Soldiers were conducting searches in the area, but army officials said it appeared that they had killed all four rebels involved in the attack. Army officials said the rebels had entered into the Indian side of Kashmir from the Pakistani-controlled part.

S.P. Vaid, a senior police officer in Kashmir, said a "state of high alert" has been declared in the state after the attack.

Vaid described Uri as "an active infiltration route for militants."

Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, the army's director general of military operations, said that all four gunmen killed were "foreign terrorists" and that initial investigations suggested that they belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group that has been active in Kashmir for more than 15 years.

India blames the outlawed group, which is based in Pakistan, for a series of attacks in the Himalayan region and Indian cities, including the attack on India's Parliament in 2001 that brought nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Singh said the gunmen were carrying "some items that had Pakistani markings." He said he had spoken to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's "serious concerns."

The army officials said the rebels entered the sprawling camp after crossing a stream and breaching the fencing Saturday night.

What made Sunday's attack different from earlier attacks in the region was that instead of storming into the camp, the rebels quietly entered the base and later began their attack, said a senior army officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

"I woke up early to the sound of gunfire. We could not go back to sleep after that," said Irfan Wadoo, a 28-year-old student in Uri who lives close to the army base. "The rattle of gunshots lasted for over four hours."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and tweeted, "I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished."

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh called an emergency meeting of top defense officials and blamed Pakistan for the attack.

"I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan's continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups," he tweeted.

Pakistan's army said in a statement that the allegations were "unfounded and premature," reiterating Islamabad's stance that no infiltration is allowed from Pakistani soil.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but is claimed by both in its entirety. Most people in the Indian-controlled portion favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. A militant uprising and subsequent army crackdown since 1989 have killed more than 68,000 people.

India accuses Pakistan of training the militants in its territory, then helping them to infiltrate the Indian side. Islamabad denies the charge, saying it only gives political and diplomatic support to the rebels.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States "strongly" condemns the attack. "The United States is committed to our strong partnership with the Indian government to combat terrorism," he said in a statement.

The attack came with Kashmir in the midst of its largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, sparked by the July 8 killing of a popular rebel commander by Indian troops. A sweeping military crackdown and near-constant curfew have been in effect since the protests began.

Rock-throwing protesters have clashed with troops firing live ammunition and shotgun pellets, and more than 80 people have been killed in the violence.

Amid the protests, India's military has had to halt its operations against militants because Kashmiri civilians have hurled rocks at the troops trying to go after the rebels in neighborhoods. However, several suspected militants have been killed along the de facto border.

The last major attack on an Indian military installation was in January, when six gunmen entered an air force base in the town of Pathankot in the state of Punjab. The rebels managed to paralyze the base for nearly four days, killing seven soldiers. That base also is close to India's border with Pakistan.

Information for this article was contributed by Asif Shahzad of The Associated Press and by Rama Lakshmi of The Washington Post. </s> Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Four Indian soldiers and two suspected terrorists, including a commander of the group behind last week's suicide bomb attack in Kashmir, have been killed during a night-long firefight.

The two terrorists were killed during a joint police and Indian army cordon and search operation of the Pulwama district that was conducted following military having received information that militants were holed up in the area, India Today reported.

The fighting broke out after the suspected terrorists opened fire on the Indian military search party, the Hindustan Times reported.

Four Indian security forces and two civilians were also killed during the night-long firefight.

The two civilians were living in the house the terrorists were holed up in, the Times of India reported.

"We condole the death of the four soldiers who lost their lives earlier today in a terrorist encounter," the Indian National Congress said in a tweet about the attack.

One of the terrorists is believed to be an alleged commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group based in Pakistan that claimed responsibility for the Feb. 14 attack when a truck loaded with explosives drove into a convoy transporting Indian Central Reserve Police Force soldiers, killing At least 44 of them.

Following the attack, India turned its ire to its neighboring country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Pakistan was on a "path to its own destruction" for its alleged involvement.

India has said it will take diplomatic steps to isolate Pakistan from the international community and it's planning to urge the Financial Action Task Force, an international terror financing watchdog, to label the country as non-cooperative in the fight against terrorist financing, meaning that Pakistan would be downgraded in the eyes of lenders, the Economic Times reported.

However, Pakistan has rejected these accusations.

Mohammad Faisal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeting Sunday that "These knee-jerk and pre-conceived accusation were rejected also because they were within a short time after the attack and without any investigations." </s> Srinagar: Four Army personnel, including a major were martyred and two Jaish terrorists were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday, three days after a suicide bomber from the group drove his explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in the area, defence officials said.

A civilian was also killed in the exchange of fire in Pinglan area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, they said.

“The terrorists are believed to be linked to the February 14 car bombing. The exact identities of the two terrorists killed are being ascertained,” a defence spokesperson said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation during the night after receiving inputs about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said.

Militants fired at forces as the searches got under way, triggering a gun battle, officials said.

The Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the February 14 terror attack that left 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel dead and five critically wounded.(PTI) </s> Indian soldiers take position outside an army camp at Nagrota, on the outskirts of Jammu, India, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. Police said militants fired indiscriminately and tried to enter the camp, triggering a fierce gun battle.

SRINAGAR, India — Rebels fighting against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir stormed a crucial Indian military base Tuesday, triggering a fierce gunbattle that left at least three army soldiers and four militants dead, officials said.

At the same time in another part of Kashmir, Indian border forces came across three suspected militants who had allegedly crossed the border from Pakistan into India, touching off another exchange of fire in which all three were killed, paramilitary officials said.

The renewed violence followed a five-day lull in fighting between Indian and Pakistani troops, who have been exchanging heavy mortar and artillery fire for months across the de facto border that divides Kashmir between the two nations. India has accused Pakistan of helping anti-India rebels stage deadly attacks on its military compounds — an allegation Pakistan denies.

Early Tuesday, at least four militants disguised in police uniforms opened fire on the military camp in Nagrota, a town on the main highway connecting Kashmir's two main cities of Srinagar and Jammu, according to senior police officer K. Rajendra.

The militants then stormed the base and made their way to an area of the compound storing artillery, lobbing grenades and drawing troops into exchanging fire, said another police officer, S.P. Vaid. Three Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the fighting, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because of department policy. The officer said at least three other soldiers were wounded.

He said four militants were killed in the daylong battle.

Army officials described the rebels as "fidayeen," a term for militants ready to sacrifice their lives for a cause. They said soldiers were searching the massive camp for any other attackers, additional military casualties or unexploded explosives.

No other details were immediately available. Authorities closed the Srinagar-Jammu highway and ordered nearby schools to close as the fighting raged in Nagrota.

It was the most audacious attack on an Indian military base since a Sept. 18 assault at an army base in the town of Uri. That attack left 19 Indian army soldiers and four suspected militants dead, and escalated tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

India accused Pakistan of helping those militants with weapons, training and logistics, and said it sent troops across the border to launch "surgical strikes" against militants in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir.

Since then, soldiers from both sides have pounded each other's military positions along the U.N.-drawn cease-fire line, now referred to as the Line of Control. At least 73 people, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed on both sides.

Meanwhile, relations at the government level have worsened, with the two nations expelling diplomats from their capitals as each side accuses the other of starting the fight.

India's Border Security Force said its soldiers on Tuesday gunned down three suspected militants who had infiltrated from Pakistan and were hiding behind bushes in the border district of Samba.

While clearing the militants' bodies, one of them — allegedly booby-trapped — exploded and injured four Indian soldiers and a police officer, according to a border officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists.

India and Pakistan each administer a portion of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. They have fought two wars over those claims since 1947.

Meanwhile, rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for the Muslim-majority region to either gain independence or merge with Pakistan. At least 70,000 people have been killed in that uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown. </s> Suspected rebels using guns and grenades sneaked into a crucial army base in Indian-controlled Kashmir early Sunday and killed at least 17 soldiers in the deadliest attack on a military base in the disputed Himalayan region in recent years, the army said.

Four rebels were killed as the soldiers returned gunfire after the surprise assault before dawn on the base, located near the highly militarized Line of Control dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Loud explosions were heard and several barracks caught fire in the initial hours of the attack. Afterward, military helicopters hovered over the base as the army conducted what it described as "mopping up" operations.

Officials said at least 30 soldiers were wounded in the attack, including about a dozen who were in critical condition.

The casualties were high because a large number of soldiers were turning over the base to new units and were stationed in tents and temporary shelters that caught fire in the attack, the army said in a statement. The base, located in the town of Uri, west of the region's main city of Srinagar, houses the Indian army's regional brigade headquarters along the de facto border separating Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

Soldiers were conducting searches in the area, but army officials said it appeared that they had killed all four rebels involved in the attack.

Army officials said the rebels had infiltrated into the Indian side of Kashmir from the Pakistani-controlled part.

Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, the army's director general of military operations, said that all four gunmen killed were "foreign terrorists," and that initial investigations suggested that they belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group that has been active in Kashmir for more than 15 years.

India blames the outlawed group, which is based in Pakistan, for a series of attacks in the Himalayan region and Indian cities, including the attack on India's Parliament in 2001 that brought nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Singh said the gunmen were carrying "some items that had Pakistani markings." He said he had spoken to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's "serious concerns."

The army officials said the rebels entered the sprawling camp after crossing a stream and breaching the fencing Saturday night.

What made Sunday's attack different from earlier attacks in the region was that instead of storming into the camp, the rebels quietly entered the base and later launched their attack, said a senior army officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and tweeted, "I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished."

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh called an emergency meeting of top defense officials and blamed Pakistan for the attack. "I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan's continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups," he tweeted.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but is claimed by both in its entirety. Most people in the Indian-controlled portion favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. A militant uprising and subsequent army crackdown since 1989 have killed more than 68,000 people.

India accuses Pakistan of training the militants in its territory then helping them to infiltrate into the Indian side. Islamabad denies the charge, saying it only gives political and diplomatic support to the rebels.

The attack came with Kashmir in the midst of its largest anti-India protests against Indian rule in recent years, sparked by the July 8 killing of a popular rebel commander by Indian troops. A sweeping military crackdown and near-constant curfew have been in effect since the protests began.

Rock-throwing protesters have clashed with troops firing live ammunition and shotgun pellets, and more than 80 people have been killed in the violence.

Amid the protests, India's military has had to halt its operations against militants because Kashmiri civilians have hurled rocks at the troops trying to go after the rebels in neighborhoods. However, several suspected militants have been killed along the de facto border.

The last major attack on an Indian military installation was in January, when six gunmen entered an air force base in the town of Pathankot in the state of Punjab. The rebels managed to paralyze the massive base for nearly four days, killing seven soldiers. That base also is close to India's border with Pakistan. </s> Indian troops and separatist militants have clashed in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing five people including a civilian, officials say.

Tension in Muslim-majority Kashmir has been high since a February 14 suicide bomb attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave troops a "free hand" to respond to the attack, and near-daily searches in villages in Kashmir since then have often triggered violent confrontations, with civilians caught in crossfire.

Modi's tough response to the attack, which included an air strike against what India said was a militant camp in Pakistan, is believed to have given his party a boost in a general election that ends on May 19.

Three JeM militants, including a Pakistani commander, and an Indian soldier were killed in the gun battle in Dalipora, a village in south Kashmir, police said.

Villagers said a civilian, who they identified as Rayees Ahmad Dar, 32, was also killed after Indian soldiers had sent him to search a house where militants were believed to be hiding. Villagers in the area have complained before about the army using civilians as human shields in searches.

A police spokesman said Dar had been killed in indiscriminate firing by the militants, and denied he had been sent on a search.

Also on Thursday, police said seven people had been arrested and a curfew imposed on a town in the region after a Muslim man transporting horses was shot dead, allegedly by a Hindu group wanting to protect the rights of cows, an animal considered sacred in their religion.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence, two of them over the Himalayan region, and came close to another in February. </s> Rebels sneaked into an army base in Indian-controlled Kashmir early Sunday and killed at least 17 soldiers in the deadliest attack on a military base in the disputed Himalayan region in recent years, the army said.

Four rebels were killed as the soldiers returned gunfire after the surprise assault before dawn on the base, near the highly militarised Line of Control dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Loud explosions were heard and several barracks caught fire in the initial hours of the attack. Afterwards, military helicopters hovered over the base as the army conducted what it described as "mopping up" operations.

Officials said at least 30 soldiers were wounded in the attack, including about a dozen who were in a critical condition.

The casualties were high because a large number of soldiers were turning over the base to new units and were stationed in tents and temporary shelters that caught fire in the attack, the army said in a statement.

The base, in the town of Uri, west of the region's main city of Srinagar, houses the Indian army's regional brigade headquarters along the de facto border separating Indian and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

Soldiers were conducting searches in the area, but army officials said it appeared that they had killed all four rebels involved in the attack.

Army officials said the rebels had infiltrated into the Indian side of Kashmir from the Pakistan-controlled part.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the army's director general of military operations, said all four gunmen killed were "foreign terrorists" and that initial investigations suggested they belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group that has been active inKashmir for more than 15 years.

India blames the outlawed group, which is based in Pakistan, for a series of attacks in the Himalayan region and Indian cities, including the attack on India's parliament in 2001 that brought nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Lt Gen Singh said the gunmen were carrying "some items that had Pakistani markings". He said he had spoken to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's "serious concerns".

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and tweeted: "I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished."

Pakistan's army said in a statement that the allegations were "unfounded and premature", reiterating Islamabad's stance that no infiltration is allowed from Pakistani soil.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but is claimed by both in its entirety.
Four Jaish-e-Mohammed militants attack an Indian Army base near the Pakistan border with at least 17 soldiers and four militants killed.