The Hindu : Front Page : 9 militants die in 100-hour battle

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 16, 2005

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Front Page

9 militants die in 100-hour battle

Shujaat Bukhari

Largest infiltration since India-Pakistan peace process was initiated 19 months ago

LENGTHY ENCOUNTER: Soldiers remove the body of a militant killed in a 100-hour-long gunbattle between the Army and militants since Tuesday evening in the Gurez sector near the Line of Control on Friday. — Photo: Nissar Ahmad

SRINAGAR: Nine militants, who had crossed the Line of Control from the other side in the Gurez sector in North Kashmir, were killed in a 100-hour army operation.

"Extensive searches" in the area to flush out the militants continued on Friday, Defence spokesman Lt. Col. V.K. Batra told The Hindu. He declined to give numbers, but the Army said this was the largest infiltration since India and Pakistan began a slow-moving peace process to solve the Kashmir issue 19 months ago.

Lt. Col. Batra said two bodies of infiltrators killed in the Gurez sector were recovered. "Three bodies were recovered by troopers from a nearby river."

The Army first allowed the militants, reportedly numbering 35, to sneak in and encircled them. The two sides clashed in the snowbound Gurez area on Tuesday evening. Sporadic firefights occurred throughout Wednesday and ended on Thursday night. And the soldiers closed in on the militant positions, Lt. Col. Batra said.

Reports said the militants had crossed the LoC in groups from Monday. Nothing is known about the rest of them.

The Army had killed 52 militants during 14 infiltration attempts since April in the Kashmir Valley alone, officials said.

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