Colonel killed in Kashmir ambush

Anti-Indian demonstrations continue in Srinagar

An Indian army colonel has been killed in an ambush by separatist militants in Indian-administered Kashmir, police say.

Another three soldiers, including a brigadier, were wounded.

The attack took place place in the town of Anandnag, 55km (34 miles) south of the capital Srinagar.

Three civilians were killed when the troops returned fire.

The militants managed to escape, but Indian troops have cordoned off the area and are searching for them.

"The vehicles carrying the colonel, brigadier and other personnel were attacked with automatic weapons and grenades," a police spokesman told French news agency AFP.

Ceasefire extended

The attack comes despite the Indian Government's extension of its unilateral ceasefire against the militants.

The truce - which had been due to expire on 26 February - only bars Indian forces from offensive operations against separatists.

Critics of the Indian ceasefire in Kashmir argue that it has not brought an end to separatist militancy, which has increased in recent weeks.

Neither has it received a favourable response on the streets of Srinagar, they argue, where demonstrations against the Indian presence in Kashmir have been as angry and vociferous as ever.