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4 Soldiers Killed In Disputed Kashmir

by VOA News

   Officials say four Indian soldiers and a civilian where killed Monday
   in India-administered Kashmir in a shootout between militants and the
   military.

   A gunfight between the two factions erupted Monday when the militants
   opened fire on troops conducting a search operation.

   Two people were also wounded in the shootout.

   The Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad has taken
   responsibility for a suicide car bombing that targeted a paramilitary
   convoy on Thursday and killed at least 40 soldiers -- the worst attack
   in the restive region in decades.

   India accuses Pakistan of providing sanctuary to the Jaish-e-Mohammad
   and has demanded Islamabad stop supporting terror groups operating from
   its territory.

   Islamabad has rejected any link to the attack on Thursday.

   India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim
   the territory in its entirety.

   Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding
   Indian-controlled Kashmir be united either under Pakistani rule or
   established as an independent country.