India braces for increase in Kashmir militancy as US winds down presence in Afghanistan Sept. 28, 2013 file photo, Indian army soldiers take position during a shooting near a military convoy on the outskirts of Srinagar, India. India is bracing for more militancy in the battle-scarred region of Kashmir, believing that fighters now focused on resisting U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan will shift toward the Himalayan flashpoint with Pakistan.(K.M. Chaudary, File/ Associated Press ) - FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013 file photo, a Pakistani soldier takes position in a bunker near Indian border in the Umranwali of district Sialkot, Pakistan. India has long accused Pakistan of arming and training militants who fight in Kashmir, a charge Pakistan vehemently denies. Pakistan has consistently said it gives the rebels only moral and diplomatic support.(Channi Anand, File/ Associated Press ) - FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 25, 2013 file photo, Indian women look at shell marks allegedly caused from firing from Pakistan side at Garkhal village near the India-Pakistan international border, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Jammu, India. India has long accused Pakistan of arming and training militants who fight in Kashmir, a charge Pakistan vehemently denies. Pakistan has consistently said it gives the rebels only moral and diplomatic support.(Channi Anand, File/ Associated Press ) - FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 16, 2013 file photo, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol near the India-Pakistan international border fencing at Garkhal, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of Jammu, India. The two countries regularly blame each other for starting skirmishes, But they agree the violence has escalated to its highest level - killing dozens of troops and civilians on both sides - since a 2003 ceasefire agreement.(Tsering Topgyal, File/ Associated Press ) - FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug 7, 2013 file photo, activists of India’s Congress party’s youth wing shout slogans during a protest against the death of five Indian army soldiers in cross-border exchanges, New Delhi, India. India has long accused Pakistan of arming and training militants who fight in Kashmir, a charge Pakistan vehemently denies. Pakistan has consistently said it gives the rebels only moral and diplomatic support. SRINAGAR, India — India is bracing for more militancy in the battle-scarred region of Kashmir, believing that fighters now focused on resisting U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan will shift toward the Himalayan flashpoint with Pakistan. 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As a result, India is increasing use of drones, thermal sensors and foot patrols as it tries to catch out any battle-hardened militants moving through the forested mountains near the frontier. At the same time, Indian troops have increasingly been engaging in skirmishes with Pakistan’s military. Rebels “are testing us. They’re making their presence felt by launching audacious attacks,” an Indian army commander in Kashmir said on condition of anonymity, in line with army policy. “They have started recruiting young people into their folds. They are training some of these boys locally.” U.S. officials and experts acknowledge there are valid concerns, though the U.S. government has not discussed such a risk publicly. The chief of its forces in the Pacific says the U.S. is increasingly discussing terrorist movements with countries in the region. “We are thinking about it more and more each day, and this includes dialogue with our partners in India and Pakistan,” Adm. Samuel Locklear told reporters in Washington this week. India has long accused Pakistan of arming and training militants who fight in Kashmir, a charge Pakistan vehemently denies. Pakistan has consistently said it gives the rebels only moral and diplomatic support. The two countries regularly blame each other for starting skirmishes, but they agree the violence has escalated to its highest level — killing dozens of troops and civilians on both sides — since a 2003 cease-fire agreement. In August, the countries’ troops engaged in fierce fighting almost daily after India said 20 militants along with Pakistani soldiers crossed the border and killed five Indian soldiers. Pakistan denied that, saying instead that Indian shelling killed two of its civilians. Some Pakistani analysts believe the country’s army leaders have little interest in rocking the boat now, raising the worrying possibility that the recent violence was sparked by militants who have gone rogue or are operating in cooperation with lower-level officials sympathetic to their cause. “We need to be vigilant, we need to be prepared and we need to be alert for any such eventuality,” Indian army Northern Commander Lt. Gen. Sanjiv Chachra said in a TV interview recently broadcast in India. “I think the drawdown (of U.S. forces in the region) will definitely have effect. As a professional army we are keeping a tag of it.” The nuclear-armed countries’ contentious border — including a 740-kilometer (460-mile) disputed and heavily militarized stretch called the Line of Control — has long drawn fire from both sides as each claims the entire territory of Kashmir as its own. Two wars have been fought over those claims. Vast areas pockmarked by watch towers and razor wire keep villagers from traveling freely.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 15:07:04 +0000
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