SRINAGAR, Aug 5: Militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir vowed on Sunday not to attack civilians in busy places. “Mujahideen will not carry out strikes in crowded places and they will only target troops,” said a statement by the region’s most powerful group, Hizbul Mujahideen. “The decision has been taken collectively by all the militant outfits,” the statement said.

Most of the dozen militant groups active in Kashmir are fighting to fold Indian-held Kashmir into Pakistan while some want independence for the scenic Himalayan region.

But even as militants said they would not strike in busy places, police blamed them for a grenade attack that injured 10 in the southern town of Awantipora on Sunday.—AFP