17 Indian Soldiers Killed in Kashmir: India-Pakistan Tensions Heating up

[Disir]

Early Sunday morning, militants attacked an Indian Brigade headquarters in Indian administered Kashmir, in the town of Uri. The attack left 17 dead as fires swept through the camp. The attack is one of the deadliest in decades.

In a pre-dawn raid, militants stormed the military post located close to the Line of Control with Pakistan, brandishing guns and grenades. All four attackers were killed and 17 Indian soldiers lost their lives. Twelve of the soldiers were killed when grenades lit their tents on fire.

Indian Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh referred to Pakistan as a “terrorist state” following the attack.

Singh further added, “There are definite and conclusive indications that the perpetrators of [the] Uri attack were highly trained, heavily armed, and specially equipped.”

“I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan’s continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups,” the minister said.

17 Indian Soldiers Killed in Kashmir: India-Pakistan Tensions Heating up

Burned them alive.

 

[waltky]

A nuclear war is more likely to break out...

... between India and Pakistan...

... than Israel and Iran.

 

[Disir]

A nuclear war is more likely to break out...

... between India and Pakistan...

... than Israel and Iran.

I agree. I think this has moved or is moving.......just between the people rather than the governments........into something uncontrollable.

 

[waltky]

Here we go again...

Indian, Pakistani troops exchange fire in Kashmir after deadly raid
September 19, 2016 • Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire across their disputed border in Kashmir on Tuesday, two days after a deadly raid on an army base that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

Eighteen soldiers died in Sunday's attack, which was the worst of its kind to hit the divided Himalayan region in more than a decade and has increased hostility between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Indian army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said there had been a "ceasefire violation" near Uri, where Sunday's attack took place, but gave no details. Uri is near the Line of Control (LoC) which divides the disputed territory. "Small-arms exchange of fire is on in the area," a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. Separately, Kalia said troops in the same area had blocked an attempt by suspected militants to cross the LoC into Indian-administered Kashmir. "A group of 10-12 terrorists attempted to infiltrate the Uri sector. They were intercepted and the infiltration bid was foiled," he told AFP.

A masked Kashmiri protester prepares to throws a brick at an Indian policeman during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, July 9, 2016. Indian authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in most parts of Kashmir on Saturday, a day after government forces killed the top rebel commander in the disputed Himalayan region, officials said, describing it as a major success against rebels fighting Indian rule.​

The Press Trust of India news agency said 10 suspected militants had been killed in the incident but this could not immediately be confirmed. India regularly accuses its arch-rival of arming and sending rebels across the heavily militarised border that divides Kashmir between the two countries, to launch attacks on its forces. Occasional violations of a 2003 ceasefire between the nuclear-armed rivals are not uncommon. The last was reported on September 6 this year and caused no casualties. Tuesday's exchange was the first since Sunday's attack, which the Indian army has blamed on Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad.

The same group was implicated in an audacious assault on an Indian air force base in Pathankot in the northern state of Punjab in January. It left seven soldiers dead and dashed hopes of a revival of peace talks, which have been on ice ever since. The death toll from Sunday's attack in which gunmen hurling grenades stormed a base was particularly high at 18, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to punish those responsible. Modi promised during his election campaign to take a hard line over Kashmir and has faced calls from army veterans -- and even some in his own party -- for military action against Pakistan. On Sunday Home Minister Rajnath Singh accused Pakistan of "continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups" and called for it to be internationally isolated.

Indian policemen remove roadblock set up by protesters who were reacting to the killing of rebel leader Burhan Wani in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. When Indian forces gleefully announced last week that they had killed a top Kashmiri rebel leader, they called it a major victory in the fight against militants in the disputed Himalayan region. They clearly didn’t expect the backlash that followed - an outpouring of public anger, daily protests and dozens dead in the streets.​

But security experts say India lacks the military capabilities to take on its neighbour in the divided Himalayan region, already tense after weeks of violent clashes between police and demonstrators protesting at Indian rule. Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both claim the disputed Himalayan territory in its entirety and have fought two wars over it. Several rebel groups have fought an estimated 500,000 Indian forces deployed in the territory, demanding independence for the Muslim-majority region or its merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands of people have died in the fighting, most of them civilians.

Indian, Pakistani troops exchange fire in Kashmir after deadly raid

 

[waltky]

Pakistan a powderkeg of terrorism...

Pakistan Faces Rising Criticism Over Inability to Curb Extremism
September 21, 2016 - As two U.S. lawmakers pursue legislation to designate Pakistan a terror state, Islamabad is facing the threat of increasing diplomatic isolation over its inability to curb homegrown militancy and the threat it poses to its neighbors.

The legislation, introduced this week by Republican Representatives Ted Poe of Texas and Dana Rohrabacher of California, accuses Pakistan of harboring global terrorist leaders and supporting terror groups. Among those groups is the Haqqani network, a U.S.-designated terrorist entity that opposes the Afghanistan government and U.S.-led NATO forces in the country. "Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years," the proposed legislation said. "From harboring Osama bin Laden to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistan is on in the war on terror. And it's not America's."

Pakistan 'a victim'

Pakistan accuses U.S. lawmakers of diplomatic theater, saying the harsh anti-Pakistani rhetoric belies that government's efforts to root out extremism. Pakistani officials also say thousands of Pakistani lives have been lost in terror attacks. "Pakistan is not supporting terrorism, it is rather a victim," Rohail Dar, a leading member of the ruling Muslim League party, told VOA's Urdu service. "Pakistan has suffered the most in the war against terrorism."

Pakistani suspects allegedly associated with the Islamic State group wait to appear in an anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala, Pakistan​

In his speech before the United Nations on Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his government has a "comprehensive strategy of law enforcement and targeted military operations that has produced remarkable results and enabled Pakistan to turn the tide against terrorism." He did not address the issue of terrorist groups targeting neighboring countries from Pakistan. American lawmakers recently urged the U.S. government to cut off financial and military aid to Pakistan because its "military and intelligence services are still linked to terrorist groups."

Facing isolation

While the U.S. bill has a long way to go before becoming law — a version of it must pass both houses of Congress and be signed by the president — Washington's tough stance shows the level of global and regional isolation that Islamabad is facing, analysts said. "Pakistan has not satisfied the U.S. on the question of its alleged support to the Haqqani network, and that is deteriorating the relations with the U.S.," Peshawar University professor Ijaz Khattak told VOA's Deewa service. "Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan also are not good. It has tensions with India."

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