SRINAGAR, Dec 31 (Agencies): Suspected rebels stormed a paramilitary camp in Indian Kashmir early Sunday leaving seven including three attackers dead, a security forces spokesman said, capping off the deadliest years in a decade for the disputed territory.
Armed militants lobbed grenades and fired automatic rifles to enter the camp of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) outside the main city of Srinagar, triggering a fierce exchange of fire as hundreds of soldiers and special counterinsurgency police surrounded the area.
"Three soldiers died in combat and another died of cardiac arrest during the ongoing operation. Three terrorists were also killed," CRPF spokesman, Rajesh Yadav told AFP.
Three paramilitary troopers were wounded, Yadav said.
It is unclear how many personnel were inside the camp during the attack, which comes just days after Indian forces killed a top leader of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in a shootout nearby. Kashmir was divided between rivals India and Pakistan at the end of British colonial rule over the subcontinent in 1947. Both claim the disputed territory in full and have fought two of their three wars over its control.
Rebel groups including JeM have since 1989 been fighting roughly half a million Indian soldiers deployed in the restive territory, seeking independence for the former Himalayan kingdom or its merger with neighbouring Pakistan.
The fighting has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.
Meanwhile, Indian film superstar Rajinikanth, who has a huge following in the country and is one of Asia's highest paid actors, has announced he is entering politics.
The 67-year-old, who works mostly in Tamil cinema, said that he will "form my own political party" ahead of the next Indian state assembly election.
Rajinikanth said it was his "duty to change the system" in Tamil Nadu state.
The state has been politically unstable since the death last year of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram.
Jayalalitha was also a former film star.
Addressing a packed hall of cheering supporters in the southern Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) on Sunday, Rajinikanth said that his aim was to contest "all 234 seats" in the assembly.
"If I don't take this decision now, the guilt will haunt me," he said, adding: "I am not doing it for any post or money or fame as I have enough."
Fans let off fire-crackers, danced to music and shouted slogans of support following the announcement, AFP news agency reports.
He has a devoted fan base in the state, which is home to more than 70 million people.
Rajinikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, has appeared in close to 200 films since 1975, many of which have broken box-office records.
In 2016, his film Kabali swept India with hundreds of thousands of fans flocking to cinemas across the country.
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