6 injured in grenade explosion in disputed Kashmir

At least five civilians and a policeman were injured in a grenade explosion in the southern portion of Indian-administered Kashmir, police said Tuesday. The bomb attack took place in South Kashmir's Anantnag town Tuesday morning when militants made an abortive attempt to blow up a vehicle of Indian army with a grenade which missed the target and exploded on the road. "Five civilians and a cop was injured in the blast. The search to nab the suspected militants is on," a senior police official told KUNA. This was the second such attack in a week in the disputed Himalayan region where over a dozen rebel groups are fighting for independence from India or merger of Kashmir with Pakistan since 1989. Immediately after the explosion, the busy town market was closed for pedestrian and traffic movement. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Kashmir remains at the core of all disputes between India and Pakistan since 1947. Both countries rule it in portions but claim it in entirety. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars and a mini war in 1999 over Kashmir where anti-India sentiments run deep and an insurgency is underway since 1989. However, violence has ebbed in disputed Kashmir ever since India and Pakistan entered into a ceasefire in 2003. But sporadic attacks like this targeting Indian soldiers and police continue to take place.