9 Jan, Srinagar, India: Three civilian workers were killed Monday when unidentified militants attacked a military road construction camp in Indian-administered Kashmir, the army said.

A spokesman said the army had launched a search for the attackers, who fled after firing at the General Reserve Engineering Force camp near the international border with Pakistan while the workers were sleeping.

The area has been relatively calm in recent weeks following an upsurge in cross-border firing after a deadly attack on an Indian army base in September that New Delhi blamed on militants from Pakistan.

“Terrorists fired at the camp at 1:30am and killed three casual labourers. A search operation is launched to nab the attackers,” army spokesman Manish Mehta told AFP.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which claim it in full.

Rebel groups have for decades fought 500,000 troops deployed in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands have died in the fighting, most of them civilians.