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| India-Pakistan |
| Top Kashmir militant killed in Kashmir gunfight |
| 2010-01-24 |
| Indian troops shot dead a top-ranking militant in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) as security forces battled militants ahead of India's Republic Day national holiday next week, police said on Saturday. Militant violence routinely increases in the revolt-hit Muslim-majority state ahead of the annual public holiday. But tensions in India have been heightened by warnings by Western intelligence agencies that flights of the state-run Air India and other private carriers could be targeted by militant groups. Police in the IHK capital of Srinagar said that Tariq Lone -- a leading rebel belonging to the militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen -- was killed late on Friday in a gun-battle with troops in the southern Kishtwar district. "Lone, alias Azhar, was a wanted militant," a police spokesman said, adding that security forces were engaged in two other gun-battles on Saturday against militants in the south. The fighting came as Indian Defence Minister AK Antony warned of the likelihood of more militant attacks and infiltration bids along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. |
| Posted by:Fred |