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Kashmir: Five Indian soldiers killed in shooting
[BBC.CO.UK] Five Indian soldiers have been rubbed out in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmire, the chief minister of the disputed region says.India's army accused Pakistain over the incident, saying troops had "entered the Indian area and ambushed" an army patrol in the Poonch area. A Pak military official told the BBC that "no fire took place" from their side. Claimed by both countries, Kashmire has been a flashpoint for over 60 years. In January, several deadly cross-border attacks plunged the neighbours into the worst crisis in relations in years. The latest incident comes as the two sides are preparing for peace talks, the first since a new Pak government took office. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmire state, Omar Abdullah, said such incidents "don't help efforts to normalise or even improve relations with Pakistain and call in to question the Pakistain government's recent overtures". Indian Defence Minister AK Antony told the parliament that the government "has lodged a strong protest with the government of Pakistain through diplomatic channels". 'Unprovoked' A top Indian army officer told the BBC that a group of "elite commandos" from the Mighty Pak Army had breached the line of control on Tuesday morning and ambushed an Indian army patrol in the Poonch sector of Jammu region. The officer said one Indian soldier was injured in "unprovoked firing" by Pak soldiers in a separate incident in Udhampur region on Monday. A Pak military official described the Indian allegations as "baseless" and said there was no firing from the Pak side. Posted by: Fred 2013-08-07 |
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