The Hindu : Kashmiri youth answers call of duty in Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 21, 2003

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International

Kashmiri youth answers call of duty in Iraq

Silicon Valley (U.S.) April 20 . ``My son is somewhere in Iraq fighting the battle, which we could not do in our homeland Kashmir,'' said Laxmi N. Raina proudly about his 22-year-old son, a U.S. Marine Reservist who was drafted to active duty on February 26.

Sidhartha Raina, a LCPL with the Marine Corps Reserves, now in Kuwait, was among the many South-Asian servicemen, who left their families to answer the call of duty and battle in Iraq.

But unlike most other South-Asians, Sidhartha has himself been a victim of terrorism, being one of the hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus, who were driven out of Kashmir.

Born in Karan Nagar, Kashmir, and now studying in Michigan to become an automotive engineer, Sidhartha is a sniper and ``a real good one too,'' says a proud though much relieved father, who yesterday spoke to his son and found out that Sidhartha had now returned to Kuwait. Describing his son as a ``daredevil,'' Raina said his family was writing letters to Sidhartha almost every day.

PTI

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