10 Dead in Kashmir Gunbattle Between Rebels, Army
SRINAGAR, India — Nov 27, 2014,
By AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press
Heavily armed militants fought a fierce gunbattle with soldiers in the Indian-held portion of Kashmir on Thursday, and four civilians were among the 10 dead, authorities said.
The nine-hour exchange of firing stopped as night fell, but some militants were still believed to be holed up in an abandoned bunker in the Arnia sector of Jammu region, an officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
The army rushed reinforcements and cordoned off the area, about 330 kilometers (205 miles) south of Srinagar, the main city in the region, to prevent the rebels from escaping.
The army rolled out at least three tanks in a show of force and to demolish some abandoned bunkers which it feared could be used by the insurgents, the officer said.
The dead included three Indian soldiers and three suspected insurgents. Two other Indian soldiers were wounded, he said. Four civilians in an Indian border village died of bullet wounds, said Rajesh Kumar, a state police officer.
Shantmanu, a state government official who uses one name, said civilians in the village were evacuated and schools were closed for the day.
Arnia is the sector where Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged shelling and firing in late September and October, killing 20 people and wounding more than 100. The clashes were the most serious violation of a 2003 cease-fire agreement.
The army officer said the attackers in Thursday's fighting crossed over from Pakistani territory, but there was no independent confirmation of that.
Rebel groups have been fighting Indian rule in the region since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the fighting and in a subsequent Indian military crackdown.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. They have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonial rule in 1947
India troops in deadly Kashmir gun battle
An Indian soldier is evacuated by helicopter after the attack by suspected militants
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At least 10 people have been killed in a gun battle between Indian troops and suspected Pakistani militants in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
The clashes erupted after the gunmen infiltrated an abandoned army bunker in the Jammu region in Indian-administered Kashmir.
At least three civilians were among the dead, according to reports.
Pakistan and India have overlapping territorial claims in Kashmir and have fought two wars over the region.
The two countries are currently attending a regional trade summit in Nepal, but some observers say their rivalry has overshadowed attempts to strike a deal.
Thursday's fighting happened near an Indian army base in the town of Arnia, an area that saw deadly fighting between Pakistani and India troops in September.
A senior police official in Jammu told the BBC that about five militants gained access to the disused bunker.
After locals informed the border guard, troops were called in and began to surround the area, he said.
A gun battle then erupted, lasting for approximately six hours.
Civilians in the area - which is only 3km (2 miles) from the international border with Pakistan - were evacuated and schools closed down, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir since an anti-India uprising began in 1989.
In recent years violence has abated from its peak in the 1990s, but the causes of the insurgency are still far from resolved.
A ceasefire agreed in 2003 remains in place, but the nuclear-armed neighbours often accuse each other of violating it.
Last month both sides issued warnings to one another after violence in the region saw at least 19 civilians killed.
Kashmir clashes claim nine lives, including civilians
An Indian soldier allegedly injured during an encounter with pro-independence fighters is evacuated by helicopter in the village of Pindi on November 27, 2014.
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