Kashmir army base comes under attack

An army base in Indian-administered Kashmir has come under attack by pro-independence fighters, leaving at least one soldier dead.

Several soldiers were also wounded in the attack on Thursday when the fighters dressed in Indian army uniforms targeted the army base near the town of Arnia, about four kilometers from the border with Pakistan.

Fighters had divided into two teams, with one group heading inside an army bunker and the other holed up in a house in a village.

“They came in a car to Arnia and took shelter in a bunker and targeted the army,” a senior Indian army officer said.

Two fighters were killed and one arrested in the fighting between the militants and the army, the officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Pro-independence fighters have been battling the army in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the fighters.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 66 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but each currently has partial control over it.