Kashmiri militants massacre Hindu villagers

Kashmiri Muslims shout freedom slogans as they carry the body of a boy in Srinagar

SRINAGAR, India -- Indian police say Muslim militants have killed 17 Hindu villagers they kidnapped in India's troubled Jammu and Kashmir state.

The killings were condemned by two separate Kashmiri militant groups who accused Indian security forces of themselves being behind the incident to promote conflict in the region.

The guerrillas abducted 20 shepherds or farmers in an early morning raid on Saturday from the town of Atholi and took them to a remote area before shooting them, an Indian police official said.

Another five are reported to be receiving treatment after they were found wounded.

Police said they had recovered 13 bodies from the scene and there were reports that a total of 15 people had been killed there. Five of the Hindus were injured and taken to hospital in the shooting. Two of the injured later died at the hospital.

The villagers had gone to Atholi from the remote Paddar area to buy provisions for the coming winter when they were attacked and taken hostage.

Police said an indefinite curfew had been imposed on Kishtwar, the main town in the area, 220 km (140 miles) of the state's winter capital Jammu, because of tension after the killings.

Responsibility

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No group has claimed responsibility for the attack that is the latest violence in the region since the failed summit between the leaders of India and Pakistan in early July.

Officials in Jammu said militants of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group could be behind the attack as they are active in the area.

Lashkar-e-Taiba issued a statement in the Pakistan-controlled side of Kashmir denying involvement, saying they did not attack civilians of any other religions but rather Indian military camps.

Syed Salahuddin, supreme commander of the frontline Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, told Reuters the massacre was "an atrocious and brutal act, and we strongly condemn it."

"It is a conspiracy on the part of Indian secret agencies to create communal conflict and give our movement a communal color," he added.

The Pakistani government issued a statement from Islamabad condemning "all such acts of terrorism ... the latest incident appeared to be aimed at discrediting the Kashmiri freedom movement".

Tensions high

Tensions are high throughout many parts of Kashmir following the failed Agra summit, where the leaders of Pakistan and India could not agree on any peace initiatives relating to the disputed region.

There are fears of retaliation in the city of Srinagar after the Indian army opened fire on Kashmiri mourners at a funeral ceremony on Friday, killing at least one person.

Witnesses said a 12-year-old boy was killed and 25 others injured while other reports suggest two people died in the incident in the town of Goigam, kilometers (20 miles) west of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state.

The army, apparently provoked by anti-India slogans and taunts, fired into a procession of around 30,000 Kashmiris mourning the death of a key separatist guerrilla.

Violence continues

Elsewhere in Kashmir, four militants were killed in fighting with government forces in Kupwara district.

Another two militants were killed when a land mine they were trying to plant exploded in Tral, a village 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Srinagar, police said.

Also in Tral, some unidentified people suspected to be Kashmiri militants lobbed hand grenades and fired at security forces.

Government forces retaliated with gunfire. One civilian passer-by was killed and four others were wounded in the exchange of gunfire, a police statement said.

India accuses Pakistan of arming, training and funding several groups that have been fighting in Kashmir since 1989 from bases inside Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over the predominantly Muslim region, which is divided between them by a cease-fire line.

Reuters contributed to this report.