Militants claim killing 9 soldiers in Poonch

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JAN. 6. Three militant organisations have claimed to have killed nine Indian soldiers in a joint operation on Friday night in the Poonch district in Kashmir.

The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen spokesperson, Mr. Salim Hashmi, claimed that fighters from the Hizb, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Harkat- ul-Jihad Islami carried out the operation in the Surankot area of Poonch district.

``The fighters used rockets and machine guns during the attack, killing nine Indian soldiers and injuring 15 others,'' he said

Mr. Hashmi said the attack was mounted to avenge the death of the Hizb's divisional commander, Haider Ali, who was killed by Indian soldiers in the same area two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, there is no word yet on the outcome of the meeting of the United Jehadi Council (UJC) in Muzaffarabad. The UJC, umbrella organisation of Pakistan-based militant organisations, was supposed to adopt a resolution on the current situation in Kashmir in the context of the peace moves.

The decision of the UJC to meet at a juncture when the delegation of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is to visit Pakistan for discussions with the Government of Pakistan and militant organisations has raised eyebrows, particularly in view of divergent views within the Hurriyat on the role of militant organisations.

While the moderates are opposed to any role for the militants, the extremists want them to play a dominant role.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Belgium Minister's visit will boost trade ties
Next     : 'U.K. Muslim youth had no role in J&K killing'