SRINAGAR, 29 June 2007 — Fresh violence in Indian Kashmir killed 10 people yesterday, including eight suspected militants and two Indian soldiers. The violence in Baramulla and Kupwara regions bordering Pakistani Kashmir injured 13 troopers and two civilians.
Troops shot dead five suspected separatist militants as they tried to slip into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani side, the second major infiltration attempt in five days, an army spokesman said. One soldier died in the shootout.
The revolt-torn region has seen an increase in violence with the onset of summer as it allows for easier movement of militants within the Himalayan region as well as through the mountain passes from Pakistan.
Indian Army spokesman Col. Manjinder Singh said the incursion took place in the Uri sector on the Line of Control, a military line, which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
“We lost a soldier. The operation still continues,” Singh added.
In a separate incident three suspected militants were killed when they were about to attack a heavily-guarded army camp in Kupwara.
Police said a group of heavily armed militants, traveling in a vehicle, were challenged that led to a gunfight. Three would-be suicide bombers were killed in the shootout.
In yet another incident, an army convoy was ambushed by militants near Chottipur village, resulting in the death of one soldier.
