Jammu, India
Suspected Islamic militants this week shot and killed at least 35 Hindus in Indian-administered Kashmir, the worst outbreak of insurgency violence in nearly two years. In southern Kashmir, Hindu villagers were herded into the home of the village chief, where gunmen started firing indiscriminately, leaving at least 22 dead. Separately, police found the bullet-riddled bodies of 13 Hindus who had been kidnapped from a different village. Authorities said the massacre appeared to be timed to upset the resumption of talks this week between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kashmiri separatists. Militants oppose the talks, which they say could result in less than total autonomy for Kashmir. But the largest Kashmiri militant group, the Hizbul Mujahideen, blamed the killings on Indian security agencies intent on “maligning the ongoing freedom struggle.”
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