Kashmir attack: Terror strike leaves seven tunnel workers dead

Doctor among the dead as authorities denounce latest act of violence in restive region

Relatives mourn the death of Dr Shahnawaz Dar, who was among those killed in a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. EPA

At least six migrant workers and a doctor were shot dead in Indian-administered Kashmir when militants launched an attack near a construction site. It comes days after a new government was formed in the region.

The militants opened fire at a camp that housed employees of a private construction company building an all-weather tunnel near Sonmarg, in the Ladakh region, near the borders with China and Pakistan. The doctor has been identified as Shahnawaz Dar.

The workers were involved in an all-weather tunnel project in Sonmarg, in the Ladakh region. AP

"At least two armed militants barged into the mess of the private construction company and fired at workers who were dining at the time of the attack," a senior police officer told Reuters. Five employees were injured, officials said.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah called the attack a "despicable act of cowardice". "Those involved in this heinous act will not be spared and will face the harshest response from our security forces," he said on X.

Omar Abdullah, the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, called it a “dastardly and cowardly attack”. The workers were involved in a "key infrastructure project in the area", he said on X.

Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has called the attack a 'despicable act of cowardice'. AFP

His National Conference party formed a government in the volatile region this month after the first local elections to be held there since it was brought under the direct rule of New Delhi five years ago. The move split the territory into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Parts of the region are controlled by India and Pakistan. The countries have claimed the area in its entirety since the end of British colonial rule in 1947.

Kashmir has been the site of a decades-long armed rebellion against New Delhi’s rule that has left tens of thousands dead. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming militants, which Pakistan denies.

Non-Kashmiri migrant workers employed in orchards, paddy fields and construction sites in the region have previously also been the targets of militant attacks, especially after the Indian government revoked Kashmir's special status in 2019. The move allowed non-Kashmiris to buy land in the region, raising concerns of a demographic change in the Muslim-majority region.

A labourer, from the eastern state of Bihar, was shot and killed, with his body found in the Shopian region last week. At least nine soldiers were killed in two attacks by suspected militants in July. The latest attack comes as Jammu, which had been largely peaceful, faces a rise in violence.