Seven killed in shootouts in Kashmir

August 20, 2000
Web posted at: 10:43 AM HKT (0243 GMT)

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Seven people including four separatist guerrillas have been killed in shootouts in troubled Kashmir, police said on Saturday.

Two unidentified separatist militants and a policeman were killed in a gunbattle on Saturday at Kalasoo area of Baramulla district, 54 kms (33 miles) north of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state.

Earlier on Friday night Indian security forces shot dead two militants of Hezb-ul Mujahedeen group at Haihama village of neighbouring district of Kupwara, police said.

A man identified as a "former" militant was killed by gunmen in the same area, police said.

In another incident suspected separatist guerrillas shot dead a policeman in Surankote area of Poonch district in south Kashmir.

The Hezb-ul Mujahedeen, which is fighting for Kashmir's merger with neighbouring Pakistan, called off a brief but unprecedented cease-fire in the region earlier this month, after India ignored its deadline for three-way talks involving Pakistan.

An estimated 30,000 people have died in 10 years of separatist revolt in Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Moslem majority state.

India says it cannot hold talks with Pakistan as long as it encourages what India calls cross-border terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge.

Kashmir's leading separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, on Saturday reiterated that only three-way talks between India, Pakistan and representatives of Kashmir could solve the problem.

"In today's meeting it was observed that only tripartite talks can be fruitful for future dispensation of Jammu and Kashmir and for peace in the sub-continent," a Hurriyat statement said.

The statement was issued after its executive council met in Srinagar on Saturday.

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