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Ambush Kills Indian State Minister
Suspected homicidal maniacs Islamic militants gunned down a heavily guarded state minister and 15 others, including four Indian soldiers, in separate attacks Wednesday in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, law minister for Jammu-Kashmir state, was killed with five supporters in the village of Lalpora, nearly 70 miles north of Srinagar, said police in Kupwara. The attack began when an explosion went off and two gunmen burst out of a rice paddy firing machine guns. Lone, a pro-India National Conference party candidate in the upcoming state elections, and a policeman guarding him were hit by the first bursts of gunfire. Four other policemen and a civilian were killed in the gun battle. Eight other people were injured in the attack. The gunmen escaped.
Damn!
Two Islamic militant groups - Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the largest Pakistan-based group operating in Kashmir, and the previously unknown Al-Arifeen Squad - both claimed responsibility.
They can fight it out over who gets credit, and probably will. I still haven't heard anything from Mary Robinson and her crew on the use of this kind of dirty tactic, targeting the pols from non-violent political parties because you don't agree with them. She'll get around to pronouncing some sort of opinion, no doubt...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-09-11 |
