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BANIHAL, India, Dec 7 (AFP) - Braving the harsh Himalayan winter, dozens of chilly and nervous Indian troops stand guard here at the Jawahar Tunnel, the only link between the scenic Kashmir valley and the Jammu region of the strife-torn Indian state.

The soldiers' job is to stop any disguised rebels who may bring explosives into the tunnel in a bid to take control of the only surface link from the valley to Jammu and mainland India.

To minimise chances of an attack, every individual entering the Jawahar Tunnel is frisked and every vehicle is searched for arms or ammunition.

Past attempts by Muslim separatist militants to take control of the tube, situated 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar, have failed in the past. But troops have no reason to relax.

On November 25, militants of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba launched an attack at the southern end of the tunnel, killing three security men and a civilian driver, although they failed to storm into the vital area.

But Lashkar pledged its attacks would continue around the tunnel and along the whole 300-kilometer (186-mile) highway it is part of, the only road going from Srinagar to Jammu, the winter capital.

On November 18, Lashkar militants attacked an army convoy on the highway at Ramban, 56 kilometers (38 miles) south of here, killing 13 soldiers and injuring 30 others.

And on Wednesday, 15 federal riot police personnel were injured in a landmine attack only a few kilometers (miles) off the main highway.

The reason the militants are interested in the tunnel: the targets are umpteen. Every day hundreds of Indian army and paramilitary troops use the highway to enter or leave Kashmir, which has been ravaged by a 12-year-old separatist insurgency.

Some 35,000 people have died since the start of the uprising to merge Muslim-majority Kashmir with Pakistan or give the Himalayan territory independence.

India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the militants trying to end New Delhi's rule here, while Islamabad says it provides only moral and diplomatic support to an indigenous self-determination struggle.

At least seven rebel attacks took place on the main road or its side routes in November, prompting Indian security forces to bolster their presence all along the zig-zag Himalayan road.

"They attack troops at transit stops, and use firepower backed with grenades to maximise the element of surprise," said Rajinder Bhullar, a senior officer in India's Border Security Force.

"Quick reaction teams have been deployed, besides sniffer dogs to smell out landmines on the highway," he said.

"This is the most important Indian highway and we are doing our best to protect it." 

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