2 Indian laborers killed in Kashmir grenade attack

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Two Indian laborers were killed in a grenade attack in disputed Kashmir, police said Tuesday, blaming the attack on militants fighting Indian rule.

Police said the man arrested in the attack was a “hybrid terrorist,” a term authorities use for suspects who they say are undercover militants who slip back into normal lives and lack known police records.

Police said the grenade was lobbed at the two in their rented dwelling in southern Shopian district Monday night. The injured men were taken to a hospital where they died, police wrote on Twitter.

The two victims were from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and were in Kashmir as day laborers, who commonly work in apple orchards or construction.

The incident comes two days after assailants fatally shot a Kashmiri Hindu man in Shopian in violence police also blamed on militants.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.

Rebels in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and most Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

Kashmir has witnessed a spate of targeted killings since October 2021. Several Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, have been killed. Police say the killings — including that of Muslim village councilors, police officials and civilians — have been carried out by anti-India rebels.

The spate of killings come as Indian troops have intensified...