3 killed in militant attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Three people associated with India's General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) were killed Monday after militants attacked their camp in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The attack was carried out at Battal area of Akhnoor sector close to International Border in Jammu city, the winter capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"In an early Monday attack at around 2:00 a.m. local time, three people associated with GREF were killed by militants during an attack on their camp," a police official posted in Jammu said. "The three men are believed to be the laborers associated with GREF."

GREF forms the parent cadre force of India's Border Roads Organization (BRO), an organization responsible for developing and maintaining road networks in border areas across India.

Following the attack, huge contingents of police and army were rushed to the area to nab militants responsible for the assault.

So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack.

India's state-run broadcaster Doordarshan News (DD News) said army camps in the region have been put on high alert in the wake of the attack.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989. Gunfights between the militants and Indian troops take place intermittently across the region.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

(APD)