Assailants fire at senior journalist in Kashmir

In this file photo, An Indian army soldier stands guard on a road on the outskirts of Srinagar. (REUTERS)

SRINAGAR: Police say a senior journalist and his two police bodyguards were seriously wounded by assailants who fired at them in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

They say Shujaat Bukhari was shot Thursday evening by unidentified men as he left his office in Srinagar, the disputed region's main city.

Bukhari, who is a group editor for two newspapers and a weekly, including the English-language daily Rising Kashmir, was targeted as he got into his vehicle.

Bukhari and the bodyguards have been hospitalized with critical injuries.

Journalists in Kashmir have been targeted in the past by both the Indian state and militant groups.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but both claim it in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989.