SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Three Indian army troops were wounded in a landmine blast near the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir, state-run All India Radio (AIR) said Monday.
The blast went off near the LoC in Keran sector of Kupwara district, northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
"Three soldiers were wounded in Keran sector in a landmine blast," the broadcaster quoting Indian defense officials as saying. "They were on routine patrolling when the explosion occurred."
The wounded soldiers have been shifted to hospital.
The LoC is de facto border that divides Kashmir into Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts. Both sides of the cease-fire line is believed to be heavily mined.
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a Geneva-based network seeking ban of landmines, has been urging both New Delhi and Islamabad to ban the use of landmines and launch comprehensive mine clearance programs.
India and Pakistan are yet to ban landmines and hence fall into the group of 36 countries in the world that are not signatories to the mine ban treaty.
A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfight between the two takes place intermittently.
