India blames militants for weekend violence

JAMMU, India -- India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the bloodiest weekend in Kashmir in months and the United States urged New Delhi to resolve the conflict over the divided territory by peaceful means.

Thirty-seven people were killed in three major attacks in as many days in the Himalayan region that has been at the forefront of troubled India-Pakistan relations since the nations gained independence in 1947.

The worst of the violence came Sunday night when Islamic militants stormed a Hindu temple and fought a 10-hour-long gunbattle with security forces.

Fourteen people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

On Saturday, a land mine blew up two military vehicles and hurled them down a mountain, killing 12 people and injuring 24.

Two guerrillas attacked a barracks on Friday, leaving eight dead, while three combatants died in gunbattles.

Indian Home Minister Lal K. Advani told Parliament on Monday that the government had intelligence reports indicating that the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Tayyaba carried out the temple attack under cover of another name, Al-Mansour. The violence came after a relative lull in fighting.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said U.S. officials "condemn these latest instances of senseless violence."

"We encourage the Kashmir state government and the Indian national government to continue their efforts to resolve the Kashmir conflict by peaceful means," he added.

India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring the separatist rebellion in India's only Muslim-majority state. Islamabad says it supports the rebels' cause but gives them no material aid.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said Monday that the Islamabad government "condemns the terrorist attacks on Hindu temples in Jammu. The motivation behind the attacks seems to be to enhance tension in the region."

However, Islamabad denied aiding the militants.