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A suicide bomber rammed a car into a bus carrying Indian paramilitary police in occupied Kashmir on Thursday, killing 44 of them in the deadliest attack in decades on security forces in the disputed region, raising tensions with arch foe Pakistan. Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack. The Indian government demanded that Islamabad take action against groups operating from its soil.

The explosion targeting a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was heard from several miles away, according to witnesses. Mohammad Yunis, a journalist who reached the site minutes later, told Reuters he saw blood and body parts scattered along a 100-metre stretch of the main highway running through the occupied Jammu and Kashmir. "We demand that Pakistan stop supporting terrorists and terror groups operating from their territory and dismantle the infrastructure operated by terrorist outfits to launch attacks in other countries," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement, hours after the attack.

Islamabad, however, rejected the suggestion that it was involved. "We have always condemned acts of violence anywhere in the world," the Pakistan foreign ministry said. "We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian media and government that seek to link the attack to Pakistan without investigations. Television images showed a mangled car amid rubble and snow around the site. Reuters photos showed tens of policemen surveying damaged vehicles and one policeman was seen carrying a plastic cover with guns inside.

The death toll stood at 44, a senior police official said. "I strongly condemn this dastardly attack. The sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

A video circulating on social media on Thursday purportedly featured the suicide bomber, and showed a young man holding a gun and threatening more attacks. Reuters was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the video. The Indian foreign ministry accused the Pakistani government of giving the Jaish a free run in Pakistan, saying it has allowed the group's leader, Masood Azhar, "to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under the control of Pakistan and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity". The last major attack in occupied Kashmir was in 2016 when freedom fighters raided an Indian army camp in Uri, killing 20 soldiers.

MODI UNDER PRESSURE The attack could put Modi, who faces a general election due by May, under political pressure to act against the militants and Pakistan. Randeep Singh Surjewala, a spokesman for the main opposition Congress party, accused Modi of compromising on security.

"Zero political action & Zero policy to tackle terror has led to an alarming security situation," Surjewala said in one of a series of tweets. Kanwal Sibal, a former top diplomat, said a diplomatic response from India would not be enough. "They will have to do something otherwise I think it will be very difficult for government to absorb this blow and be seen to be doing nothing," Sibal told Reuters. In a statement carried by GNS news agency, a spokesman for the group said dozens of security force vehicles were destroyed in the attack.

Arun Jaitley, a senior minister in Modi's cabinet, said India would retaliate, tweeting that "terrorists will be given unforgettable lesson for their heinous act". The US ambassador to India, Ken Juster, condemned the attack, saying in a tweet that Washington stands alongside India in confronting terror and defeating it".

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019


Copyright Reuters, 2019


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