Kashmir attack leaves 17 Indian soldiers dead, four militants killed

Militants in Kashmir have killed 17 Indian soldiers in an early morning raid on an army camp near India’s disputed border with Pakistan, the most deadly attack in the northern region of Kashmir in recent years.

Four “fidayeen” – highly-trained militants or commando-style gunmen willing to fight to the death – were confirmed killed after penetrating the base in Uri near the Line of Control with Pakistan, an Indian army spokesman said.

A police source told Reuters that the number of soldiers killed in the attack had risen to 17, making the toll far worse than a similar raid on an army base in Punjab state in January that India has blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

The army deployed helicopters to evacuate soldiers had been injured in the dawn attack that was followed by an hours-long gunfight. The Defence Ministry in New Delhi put the number of wounded at 35.

The raid comes amid heavy security and high tensions after more than two months of clashes between protesters and police that have left more than 80 civilians dead and thousands injured following the July 8 killing of a popular separatist field commander.

In a statement, the Indian army attributed the high casualties on Sunday morning to a fire that broke out during the attack and consumed temporary shelters and tents in the brigade headquarters.

More than a dozen soldiers are understood to be injured, some of them critically.

The militants are thought to have recently crossed over the nearby “line of control” with Pakistan.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

An emergency meeting of senior ministers and security officials is being held in Delhi and alerts have been issued for airports across the country.

The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, said he condemned the “cowardly” attack. “I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished,” he said on Twitter.

“We salute all those martyred in Uri. Their service to the nation will always be remembered. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.”

The military death toll was the worst in Indian-ruled Kashmir at least since a raid in December 2014, also near Uri which is to the west of the region's main city of Srinagar, in which eight soldiers and three police were killed.

India accuses Pakistan of supporting militant attacks in its northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule only in part.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently raised the stakes in their decades-old feud by expressing support for separatists within Pakistan.

Pakistan denies any role in cross-border terrorism, and has called on the United Nations and the international community to investigate atrocities it alleges have been committed by the security forces in Indian-ruled Kashmir.

The United Nations will soon hold its annual general assembly in New York, where Kashmir is likely to come onto the agenda.