Hizb hits Army bus, 10 die

Twelve people, including two children, were killed and 23 injured when suspected Hizb militants blew up a passenger bus carrying army personnel and their families on the Srinagar-Jammu highway today.

The armymen on a holiday were Jammu-bound and moving in a huge convoy when militants detonated a bomb near Zig, a blind curve. Army Captain A.K. Sharma, four jawans, two women and two children died on the spot.

Three others later succumbed to their wounds at the Srinagar army hospital. Among the injured, 10 were reported to be in critical condition.

Two outfits Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-e-Jehad Islami have claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Army says the needle of suspicion points towards the Hizbul Mujahideen.