Terror Strikes Major Kashmir City Business District; 1 Policeman Killed, Multiple Injuries Reported

At least two terrorists apparently affiliated with Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen lobbed grenades along a main shopping thoroughfare in Sringagar, India today, killing a policeman and wounding three others as they commandeered the hotel. Sringagar is located in the disputed Kashmir region that borders Pakistan. More than 100 people were safely evacuated.

Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, one of the rebel groups active in the area claimed responsibility for the attack by faxing a statement to the local offices of a news agency. ``The attack is in response to India's propaganda that the armed struggle has weakened in Kashmir,'' the statement said.

As it grew dark, the security forces put up floodlights around the Punjab Hotel building where the militants are holed up. The area has been marked off with concertina wires to ensure the guerrillas do not escape under the cover of darkness.

"We are cautious that no collateral damage takes place," a police officer said.

Police were not sure of any civilian trapped in the hotel building which hindered the prospect of launching the final assault. The militants were using the building as a fortified bunker and firing intermittently at the surrounding security forces.

"The hotel building will have to be stormed by commandoes if the militants refuse to surrender," said a paramilitary officer.

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The terrorist group claims three of its minions were involved in the attacks.

Security appeared to be somewhat better than the devastating Mumbai attacks, but this incident isn't over yet as the terrorists remain holed up in what has been reported to be a hotel. The terrorists have fired on security forces and lobbed grenades from their position.

Kashmir has been a flashpoint for conflict between India and Pakistan across the Line of Control, and 47,000 have died in the insurgency since 1989. The attack in Sringagar occurred just days after Pakistani President Zardari visited the Pakistani side of the border and a suicide bombing that killed three Pakistani soldiers near the Line of Control.

Suicide Bomber Strikes Indian Embassy In Kabul

Look for India to blame the ISI and the Taliban for this.

A suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle outside the Indian Embassy in the busy center of Afghanistan's capital on Thursday, killing 17 people and wounding nearly 80 in the second major attack in the city in less than a month.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the 8:30 a.m. assault and said the embassy was the target.

The blast occurred a day after the Afghanistan war reached its eighth anniversary and as President Barack Obama considered a request for between 10,000 and 40,000 additional troops prepared by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.

A suicide bomber targeted the Indian embassy in Kabul. The Taliban took responsibility for the blast. This isn't the first time either, and this latest bombing comes on the heels of a report in an Indian newspaper that the ISI was trying to convince the Taliban to go after India in Jammu and Kashmir across the Line of Control instead of going after Pakistanis.

The "jail or jihad" option offered to the Taliban seems a useful diversion for ISI. The Pakistan military establishment has had to fight the Taliban, once its close allies in Afghanistan, but is looking to turn the situation to its advantage.

Apprehensions in Indian security circles that the crackdown by the Pakistan army on Taliban — seen as a last resort after the jihadis turned their guns on the Pakistani state — could mean trouble in Kashmir are being proved correct. Not only have infiltration attempts by regular jihadi outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba gone up, the presence of Taliban poses a new threat.

Highly placed sources said BSF and the Army had been alerted about the developments after intelligence intercepted talk about infiltration bids in the next 15 to 20 days.

"Although the Taliban is yet to successfully infiltrate into India, the coming days will pose a challenge as their attempts to sneak in are expected before the onset of winter," said a senior official. The infiltration is closely controlled and monitored by the ISI and Pakistan army which is often involved in the crossings.

The tension between India and Pakistan just got ratcheted up another notch.