March 23, 2002	Saturday	Muharram 8, 1423

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SRINAGAR, March 22: Forty-seven people were injured in two grenade attacks in market places in occupied Kashmir on Friday.

In the first attack, Mujahideen hurled a grenade towards an Indian force patrol in the town of Shopian, 50kms south of Srinagar. It missed its target and exploded among shoppers near the main bus stand, injuring 30 civilians.

“The condition of four civilians is serious and they may be shifted to Srinagar soon,” a police spokesman said.

He said six people suffered injuries in a stampede as people ran for cover after the blast.

In a similar attack in the town of Anantnag, 60 kilometres south of Srinagar, a grenade missed an Indian patrol and exploded, injuring 16 civilians and one member of the paramilitary forces.

Two groups, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jamiat-ul-Majahideen condemned the attacks.

On Thursday 13 civilians and a member of the paramilitary forces were injured when the Mujahideen hurled a grenade at a patrol in Damhal Hanjipora village, 65 kilometres south of here.—AFP

Indian officials claimed their forces killed nine Pakistani soldiers in exchanges of fire on Friday on the border of occupied Kashmir, dpa adds from New Delhi.

Officials in Jammu city also said eight Indian soldiers and an army officer were seriously injured in artillery fire from Pakistani side in the Kalaal and Rumblidhara areas of the Nowshera sector in Rajouri district.