SRINAGAR, Feb 8 (1998) – Fifteen people, including five members of a family, were killed in weekend violence in the troubled Kashmir region, a police spokesman said Sunday.
Five supporters of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit were killed in an explosion inside a militant’s house overnight at Chatregul, near Kangan township, 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of Srinagar, the spokesman said.
Villagers blamed pro-India militants for the explosion, which claimed the lives of two men and three women from the one family, he said.
Police said they were investigating the cause of the blast.
In a separate incident, four militants were killed and three Indian soldiers injured in a gunbattle at Chamberaz, in Poonch district, overnight, a statement issued by police here said.
The statement said the gunbattle occurred during a “search operation” by Indian soldiers.
Four automatic rifles, three pistols, 24 grenades, radio sets and ammunition were recovered, it said.
Meanwhile, in the southern Shopian town, two militants were killed in a fire fight with Indian troops and Moslem rebels shot dead a renegade militant after dragging him off a bus.
Three more people were shot dead by Moslem militants fighting against the Indian rule in Kashmir, police said.
Kashmir, India’s only Moslem-majority state, is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which claim the territory. It has sparked two wars since 1947.
India accuses Pakistan of training militants and infiltrating them into its territory. Islamabad says it offers diplomatic support for a legitimate demand for self-determination.
The Kashmir dispute has blighted ties between the two nations since 1947. Official diplomatic talks, however, were relaunched last year after a three-year freeze.
