Separatist violence escalates in Kashmir

Violence has escalated since Mr Mehdi's assassination

The authorities in India say that suspected separatist guerrillas have attacked an Indian army camp in northern Kashmir, killing four soldiers and wounding three more.

A spokesman for the defence ministry said troops fired back, killing at least two militants.

The attack was the latest in a series against Indian military posts carried out by rebels fighting for Kashmiri independence.

The past three days have seen an escalation of violence, with at least 35 people killed since the assassination of a leading member of the Shia community on Friday.

Mourned

Police in Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar, blamed Sunday's attack on the members of the Pakistan-based group, Lashkar-e-Toiba.

On guard against further violence

The police have now partially lifted a curfew imposed since the death in a landmine explosion of the Shia leader and supporter of Indian rule, Aga Syed Mehdi.

A militant Shia group, Lashkar-e-Karbala, has said it carried out the attack, in which five other people were also killed.

More than 30,000 people turned out for Mr Mehdi's funeral on Saturday.

They included senior leaders of the main Kashmiri separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), which condemned the killing.

Violence

In clashes since Mr Mehdi's death, Indian troops shot dead seven alleged intruders early on Saturday as they tried to cross the Line of Control into India.

Another six militants were killed in a gun battle in Anantnag district south of Srinagar.

And late on Friday, four policemen were killed when a bomb exploded inside a barracks at a police training school in Baramulla district, north of Srinagar.

Separatist violence has surged across Kashmir since the biggest guerrilla group called off a ceasefire in August because of India's refusal to include Pakistan in talks to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

The territory is split between India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars over Kashmir since 1947.