[Pak Daily Times] Rebels killed eight soldiers in Indian-held Kashmire on Monday in the deadliest such attack in five years, marring a landmark visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Himalayan territory.The military convoy was ambushed on the outskirts of Srinagar, as it headed towards a nearby base camp, officials said.
"Eight troopers died in the attack and 13 others have been maimed," a senior police official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
The condition of one of the injured was critical, he said.
The attack marked the deadliest single day for Indian security forces in Held Kashmire since July 2008 when a landmine killed nine soldiers on a bus on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Monday's attack came amid a high state of alert which has been imposed ahead of Singh's arrival on Tuesday for a two-day visit to the territory, his first since June 2010. Singh strongly condemned the attack in a statement issued in the capital New Delhi.
"This cowardly attack will not deter the security forces who are engaged in bringing peace and order to the valley," he said.
Police sources said cycle of violence-borne rebels shot up the army vehicles before lobbing a grenade at one of them.
As the rebels fled, they threw another hand grenade at a group of paramilitaries, severely injuring one officer.
They then abandoned their bike and escaped before the army cordoned off the area, the sources said.
Hizbul Mujahideen, a local rebel group, grabbed credit for the attack.
Security officials had earlier said that police and paramilitary forces were being deployed in strength across the region, with additional checkpoints set up along major highways.
"A high alert is there. We do face a threat from the rebels," Abdul Gani Mir, Kashmire's police chief, told AFP.