Longest Kashmir Battle Since 1989

Friday, October 3, 2008, just a day after Gandhi Jayanti, will be remembered for the end of one of the fierciest battles ever fought on Kashmir soil. Thirteen terrorists and a brave Indian soldier were killed in a nine-day long gunfight.

The battle needs to be seen in the context of the deteriorating security situation in the country and rising infiltration, notwithstanding which, India's government has decided to go ahead with the parleys and so called confidence building measures with Pakistan.

It is not surprising that Pakistan is violating the November 2003, ceasefire agreement with impunity but India's government is behaving as if nothing has happened and even plans to open a trade route in Kashmir later this month with Pakistan via Muzzafarabad. The least India can do is to tell Pakistan that cross-border firing and infiltration must be stopped and ceasefire agreement strictly adhered to before any meaningful discussions can be held.

Militrary personnel have termed the battle as, one of the longest since current round of terrorism started in 1989. Following are the details given to journalists by Major General V.S.S. Goudar, general officer commanding (GOC) of the army's elite counter insurgency Kilo Force, after the battle ended.

Heavily armed terrorists were spotted moving from north Kashmir's Bandipora district towards the Kangan Valley in Ganderbal district on Sep 25. Troops of 10 Para regiment, and 14th, 5th and 24th Rashtriya Rifles were moved on foot and by air and contact was established with the terrorists on the same day. The fight between the troops and the guerrillas occurred at an altitude of 15,000 feet in the Harmukh mountain range where snowfall occurs almost daily. Eleven AK-47/56 rifles, 27 magazines, 287 rounds of ammunition and two satellite phones have been recovered from the possession of the killed terrorists. One soldier was martyred.

If the Indian government has some respect for the martyred soldier, the least it can do is to tell Pakistan, that talks and tanks don't go hand-in-hand.