July 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 18, 1429

SRINAGAR, July 21: Indian troops killed two suspected militants in occupied Kashmir as they thwarted the militants’ attempt to attack a convoy of Hindu pilgrims visiting the state, police said Monday.

The incident and a series of other attacks throughout the revolt-hit region come as top Indian and Pakistani diplomats were meeting in New Delhi on Monday for the fifth round of talks under a peace process launched in 2004.

Troops stepped in when the militants threw grenades at pilgrims returning to the region’s summer capital, Srinagar, after visiting a popular Hindu shrine on the outskirts of the city on Sunday evening.

“Militants lobbed hand grenades and opened fire towards a convoy of vehicles carrying Hindu pilgrims, but alert troops reacted quickly and shot dead both the attackers,” a police officer Abdul Razaq said, adding that none of the pilgrims were injured in the incident.

“We have further strengthened security for the pilgrims,” Razaq said.

The route to the shrine, based at the foothills of the Himalayas and visited by 400,000 pilgrims last year, has long been targeted by militants.—AFP