22 Sep 2017 | 08:55 PM UTC
India: Three people dead in Kashmir blast Sep. 21
At least three people dead from grenade blast near Srinagar September 21
Event
At least three people were killed and over 20 people injured after a grenade attack in Tral, 41 km (25 mi) south of Srinagar, Kashmir. The target of the attack was allegedly Jammu and Kashmir Minister of Public Works, Naeem Akhtar, who was not injured in the attack. Among the injured are seven Indian paramilitary troopers.
Authorities claimed militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen as the source of the attack; however, the group condemned the act. An increased security presence is likely in the area in the coming days.
Context
Tral is the hometown of militant Burhan Wani, whose death in 2016 sparked a wave of violence throughout Kashmir.
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is the primary terrorist group operating in India-administered Kashmir, but is headquartered in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is affiliated with several local terrorist groups active in the Indian Kashmir Valley and across Pakistan, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as with Afghan terrorist organizations, such as Hizb-e-Islami. The group is believed to have established ties with the Pakistani military intelligence.
Kashmir's security forces have been under increased pressure in recent months as militants have stepped up attacks on police and military troops. Armed clashes between protesters, who oppose Indian rule, and government forces have also become more frequent since the killing of popular militant leader Burhan Wani by security forces on July 8, 2016. His death sparked widespread unrest in which more than 100 people were killed. Tensions were stoked again in late May 2017 after Sazar Ahmad Bhat, another former leader of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, was killed during a security operation. Violent anti-India protests took place throughout the region in reaction to his death.
Advice
As a reminder, some foreign governments advise against travel to parts of Jammu and Kashmir state, in particular the border region with Pakistan, due to the high threat of terrorism and other violence.
