An Indian security force personnel stands guard on the banks of Dal Lake, one of Kashmir’s main tourist attractions, in Srinagar, India July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain/File Photo 

NEW DELHI – At least 11 people were injured when militants threw a grenade at Indian security forces on Sunday in a crowded flea market in Srinagar, capital of India-administered Kashmir, a police official said.

Militants missed their target and instead injured at least 11 people, the official told Reuters. The official wished to remain unnamed as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The identity of the militant group responsible for the attack is unknown.

The injured were rushed to hospital for treatment where they were in a stable condition, the official said, adding that the explosion had caused panic in the market and sent shoppers scrambling for cover.

The attack comes a day after a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a militant Islamist group, was killed along with two other militants by Indian troops in Kashmir.

Kashmir has seen a spate of attacks since a government formed by an opposition alliance took over the territory, where separatist militants have fought security forces for decades, resulting in thousands of deaths.

Since the new government took over earlier last month, 15 people have died in different militant attacks.

Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, and the 2019 revocation of its special status, which saw it being split into two federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, led to the countries downgrading diplomatic ties.

(Reuters)

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