Naeem Akhtar. Picture: Facebook profileSrinagar, Sept. 21 (Reuters): Militants attacked the convoy of a minister in Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday, killing at least two bystanders and injuring several others though the minister escaped unhurt, police said. A grenade hurled at the motorcade of Public Works Minister Naeem Akhtar exploded on the road after hitting a security vehicle, senior state police official Manoj Pandita told Reuters. Akhtar, who was on his way to inaugurate a project in the town of Tral in south Kashmir, told Reuters he was safe. So far this year, around 44 civilians have been killed in militant attacks in the state, passing the highest annual total seen in the last eight years, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

Source: The Telegraph September 21, 2017 09:18 UTC