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| India-Pakistan |
| Fierce Kashmir gunbattle leaves seven dead |
| 2010-05-08 |
| [Dawn] A fierce gunbattle between militants and Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir left five insurgents and two soldiers dead, an army spokesman said Friday. Fighting erupted Thursday night in densely forested Rafiabad -- about 50 miles north of Srinagar -- after army troops and police received information about the presence of militants in the area, Col. Vineet Sood said. Five militants and two soldiers died in the clash, and search operations were continuing. In a telephone call Friday to Current New Service, a local news agency, a man who identified himself as a spokesman for Hizbul Mujahedeen, Kashmir's biggest militant group, said four of the guerrillas killed belonged to his group. The man, who gave his name as Ahsan Ilahi, told the news agency three soldiers were also killed in the fighting. Hizbul Mujahedeen is one of a dozen militant groups fighting Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region. On Wednesday, militants ambushed an army patrol in the restive region, killing two soldiers. Both India and Pakistan claim all of Kashmir and have fought two wars over it. The militants have fought since 1989 for the Indian-administered portion's independence or its merger with Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of funding and training militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and facilitating their entry into Indian-administered Kashmir to fight government forces. Islamabad denies the charge, saying it only gives moral and diplomatic support to the militants. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the uprising and subsequent Indian crackdown. |
| Posted by:Fred |