Indian army kills intruder at camp in Indian Kashmir

Mon, May 12 02:49 PM

SRINAGAR, India (AP) _ Indian soldiers shot and killed a suspected Islamic rebel who sneaked into an army camp in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday, a day after major gunbattles in the area left 10 people dead. Kondaveeti Rajendra, inspector general of police, said the army suspects the man escaped from Sunday's fighting between soldiers and suspected militants and entered the camp in the village of Ding Ambh.

The village is 225 miles (360 kilometers) south of Srinagar, the main city in Indian-held Kashmir. Indian army spokesman Lt.

Col. Shantanu Das Goswami confirmed the shooting, but gave no details.

Goswami said four suspected rebels, three civilians, two soldiers and a news photographer were killed in Sunday's two gunbattles. One of the battles raged for more than 16 hours after soldiers surrounded six suspected militants holed up in a house, Goswami said.

He said the men had apparently come from across the de facto border with Pakistan. Five soldiers and a policeman were wounded in that battle, which took place in the village of Kehli Mandi, about 220 miles (350 kilometers) south Srinagar.

One of those killed was a photographer covering the battle for the local English language newspaper. He was believed to be the sixth journalist killed since the outbreak of fighting in Kashmir in 1989.

More than a dozen Islamic rebel groups have been fighting for independence from mainly Hindu India or a union with Muslim-majority Pakistan, which controls the other half of Kashmir. Both countries claim the entire region.

More than 68,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.

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