Indian army soldier commits suicide after killing 5 colleagues in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India – An Indian official says an army soldier fired indiscriminately at his colleagues at an army camp in the Indian portion of Kashmir, killing five of them before fatally shooting himself.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nitin Nahar Joshi said Thursday that the incident happened Wednesday night in northern Ganderbal region. He did not give a reason for the attack.

Indian soldiers posted to Kashmir work under stress because of harsh weather conditions in a tough mountainous terrain, and they also have to deal with militant attacks in the insurgency-hit region. They can be posted away from their families for years.

Rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with neighboring Pakistan.