33 die in gruesome Kashmir massacre (THIRDLEAD) By H. Joshi, Indo-Asian News Service
Jammu, May 14 (IANS) Terrorists dressed in military fatigues Tuesday shot dead children and wives of Indian soldiers even as the victims begged for mercy in a gruesome massacre that left 33 people, including the three attackers, dead in Jammu and Kashmir. A sombre Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah blamed Pakistan-backed guerrillas for the brutal killings and said the death toll - in what is undoubtedly one of the worst acts of terrorism in the Himalayan state - could be much more. About 40 people were injured, and many were reported to be in critical condition. "We normally don't stop on the highway," said Satish Sharma, the conductor of the bus and who survived the massacre. "But when we saw men in uniforms flagging us down, we stopped. Little did we realise what was in store for us." The nationality of the killers was not immediately known, but the pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul Mujahideen and the unknown Al-Manzooria claimed responsibility for the "suicide operation". In a statement to a news agency in Srinagar, the groups identified the three terrorists who died in the attack as Abu Marsad, Abu Jaffer and Abu Sheal. Indian officials said all three were in their early 20s. The orgy of violence began early in the day when three gunmen, dressed in military fatigues, boarded a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims from the hill state of Himachal Pradesh at a small township near the Pakistan border. About 10 km from Jammu, the state's Hindu-majority winter capital, the gunmen unleashed a terrible fury, indiscriminately opening fire at the passengers. They also lobbed grenades on those who tried to escape the deadly attack. "Most of the passengers were sleeping when they stopped the bus. They first asked the passengers to get up and then started shooting indiscriminately," Sharma said. "They first shot the driver and then opened fire on the passengers who ran about in panic to escape the bullets," added Sharma. At least seven passengers were killed instantly and several injured. The bus was covered in blood and riddled with bullet marks. The killers then ran into a sprawling residential complex housing the families of Indian troops along a highway and forced their way into several homes, firing away wildly. Three soldiers guarding the complex were among the first to die. One of the militants quickly fired some of the house with detonators and explosives. "They have killed innocent people," Abdullah lamented before leaving for the massacre site. Military officials said as the sound of firing and detonations began, soldiers from a military complex across the highway ran into the residential quarters and engaged the terrorists, killing all three men after about four hours of fierce fighting. As the soldiers began closing in, residents of nearby area kept them supplied with drinking water. But by the time the terrorists were gunned down, police sources told IANS, they had displayed unprecedented cruelty. Many of the victims were children who were asleep in their beds. In some instances, their mothers begged for mercy from the killers but were mowed down. A few women survived by hiding under the cots. "It is one of the worst setbacks for the army in Kashmir," a police officer said. The gruesome killings took place hours after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca flew into New Delhi for talks with Indian leaders on the situation in the region. She is also expected to discuss Jammu and Kashmir. "I hope (External Affairs Minister) Jaswant Singh will make it clear to the U.S. that we are not ready to accept this terrorism any longer. Pakistan wants us to pull back from the border but what do we have in hand? If Pakistan wants India to talk, it must end cross-border terrorism. Rocca must carry this message to Islamabad," Abdullah said. Said Kashmir governor G.C. Saxena: "This is a crime against humanity. It is a pure act of terrorism." This is the first time terrorists have targeted an army camp close to Jammu, a Hindu-dominated city. The last massacre in Jammu and Kashmir took place May 3 when terrorists gunned down four Muslim and one Hindu civilians in the mountainous district of Doda. The latest terror attack also comes amid growing dissensions within militant ranks in Jammu and Kashmir, where a bloody separatist drive raging since 1989 has claimed around 30,000 lives. India accuses Pakistan, which disputes Kashmir's ownership, of arming and training the guerrillas and of pushing into India scores of foreign mercenaries, mostly Pakistanis and Afghans. --Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
