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EPA
This is the worst incident since 2016 when 17 soldiers were killed
At least 12 Indian paramilitary officers have been killed in a militant attack on a vehicle convoy in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Police told the BBC that the convoy was targeted by an explosive device triggered from a remote location.
The Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad has said it carried out the bombing.
This is the bloodiest attack on security forces in the region since an attack on an army camp in 2016.
The blast took place on the heavily guarded Srinagar-Jammu highway about 20km (12 miles) from Srinagar city.
Local media reports say that at least 40 officers were injured in the attack, with India’s PTI news agency quoting officials as saying that the death toll was likely to rise.
Two former chief ministers of the state, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have tweeted about the attack.
The AFP news agency said Jaish-e-Mohammad had sent a statement to local media saying they were behind the “suicide attack”.
In September 2016, at least 17 Indian soldiers were killed when militants stormed a base in Uri. It was the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades and came amid violent protests against Indian rule. Delhi blamed the Pakistani state, which denied any involvement.
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir but only control parts of it.
The two countries have fought three wars and a limited conflict – all but one were over Kashmir.
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