Rebel clash leaves eight dead in Indian Kashmir

INDIA: The death toll in a weekend gunfight between Islamic rebels and troops in Indian-administered Kashmir has risen to eight, a senior military officer said Monday.

The prolonged shootout that erupted Sunday in the Himalayan region’s Samba area, 70 kilometres (44 miles) south of Kashmir’s winter capital Jammu, came after a sharp drop in violence in recent months.

Three civilians, a photo-journalist, two soldiers and two militants died, said Lieutenant General Vinay Sharma, who oversaw the counter insurgency operation. The pro-Pakistan Al-Mansoorian group in a telephone call to a local media organisation said its militants carried out the raid.

One of the hostages was among the dead but the others were rescued at the end of the operation on Sunday.

Al-Mansoorian spokesman Amir Mir refused to take responsibility for the civilian deaths, saying the group was targeting the Indian army which has been battling the insurgency in the region since 1989.“

Jammu,

Monday, AFP