Five Indian soldiers reportedly killed in KashmirAugust 6, 2013 - 12:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Five Indian soldiers have been shot dead in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the chief minister of the disputed region said, according to BBC News. India's army accused Pakistan over the incident, saying troops had "entered the Indian area and ambushed" an army patrol in the Poonch area. A Pakistani military official said that "no fire took place" from their side. Claimed by both countries, Kashmir has been a flashpoint for over 60 years. In January, several deadly cross-border attacks plunged the neighbors into the worst crisis in relations in years. The latest incident comes as the two sides are preparing for peace talks, the first since a new Pakistani government took office. The chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, said such incidents "don't help efforts to normalize or even improve relations with Pakistan and call in to question the Pakistan government's recent overtures". A top Indian army officer told the BBC that a group of "elite commandos" from the Pakistani army breached the line of control on Tuesday morning and ambushed an Indian army patrol in the Poonch sector of Jammu region. The officer said one Indian soldier was injured in "unprovoked firing" by Pakistani soldiers in a separate incident in Udhampur region on Monday, Aug 6. A Pakistani military official described the Indian allegations as "baseless" and said there was no firing from the Pakistani side. India and Pakistan agreed a ceasefire along the line of control, which divides the region, in November 2003. But both sides have blamed each other for occasional cross-border fire, as a result of which several soldiers and civilians have been killed or wounded on both sides. After the January incidents, relations between the sides deteriorated so sharply that there were fears that a fledgling peace process under way since February last year could unravel. Although both sides denied provoking the clashes along the border, eventually both India and Pakistan agreed to de-escalate tensions. Thousands of people have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir since an armed revolt against Indian rule erupted in 1989. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Police try to impede Armenian Church head’s access to war memorial Police tried to stop the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, from visiting a war memorial. Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. |