INDIA: A junior commissioned army officer and two others died in rebel violence in northern India's disputed Jammu and Kashmir region where 500 Gurkha soldiers were specially inducted yesterday into a thickly forested area to "flush out" militants engaged in one of the longest encounters in the region.
One policeman has died in the firefight between the security forces and seven Islamic rebels waging civil war for an independent Muslim homeland that began last Tuesday in the dense forests of Kathua district, south of the state's winter capital, Jammu.
Army officers said that initially there was an intense exchange of fire in which seven security forces personnel were also injured, but the protracted siege has in the past two days been punctuated by inactivity.
They reiterated that the army was in no hurry to storm the militant hideout secreted in dense foliage that has reduced visibility to three yards, as it wanted to avoid "unnecessary" casualties.
Militant snipers have taken to firing sporadically to conserve their depleting stocks of ammunition, ably succeeding in keeping the army pinned down.
Air operations to pinpoint rebel positions have also been unsuccessful. The army has flown at least half-a-dozen helicopter surveillance flights over the besieged area, but has been unable to locate any movement in the jungles below.
Officials said the Gurkhas, who are renowned for their experience in guerrilla warfare, were inducted into the area as they were known for their patience in such situations and for their ability to move like shadows.
Meanwhile, the latest round of deaths in Kashmir in which rebels ambushed an army unit, killing a junior commissioned officer and injuring two soldiers near Sopore, takes to over 120 the number of people to have died in the state following strikes by Pakistan-backed insurgent outfits.
