Mine blast kills policeman in Kashmir

Published September 12, 2006

SRINAGAR, Sept 11: An Indian policeman was killed and his colleague hurt when Muslim rebels set off a landmine in occupied Kashmir, police said on Monday. The explosion took place late on Sunday when militants targeted a police patrol in the southern district of Kulgam, a police spokesman said.

The slain policeman’s brother had killed a militant with an axe in 2001 in the same district, he said.

The attack came as occupied Kashmir’s army chief General S.S. Dhillon said cross-border infiltration from Azad Kashmir was “marginally higher” than last year.

Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, meanwhile, offered a conditional ceasefire during the upcoming month of Ramazan.—AFP