|
Four rebels dead on Indian Independence Day
[Al Arabiya Latest] Troops killed four Muslim rebels in Indian Kashmir as a separatist strike paralyzed the restive region Saturday in protest against celebrations marking India's 1947 independence, police said.The rebels were killed in a fierce gun battle in southern Kashmir late Friday, on the eve of India's celebrations of its 62nd anniversary of independence from British colonial rule, police said. Since 1989, when insurgents launched a revolt against New Delhi's rule, separatists have marked festivities honoring India's independence as a "black day" in the Muslim-majority region. Anti-India strike Separatists staged their traditional one-day anti-India strike to coincide with the celebrations, shutting down shops and businesses and emptying the streets of people. The four rebels killed by troops belonged to the region's most powerful guerrilla group, the Hizbul Mujahedin, which is fighting for the inclusion of Indian Kashmir by neighboring Pakistan, police said. During the night soldiers also defused eight bombs planted by rebels in the scenic Himalayan region, where authorities have sharply boosted security for the celebrations, said police. "The attempt by militants to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations was foiled," a police spokesman told AFP. In summer capital Srinagar sharpshooters took up positions on top of buildings overlooking the venue for the main celebrations, as part of the heightened security. The tightly guarded Independence Day celebrations were to be attended later in the day by Indian Kashmir's new chief minister, Omar Abdullah, who was elected in May. Posted by: Fred 2009-08-16 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=276701 |