On 2 June, the US Department of State issued the following Public Announcement in regards to the situation in India: "Military activity along the line of control between India and Pakistan in the State of Jammu and Kashmir has intensified since late May. Fighting in the area has occasionally resulted in the closing of Srinagar airport for civil aviation, and the closing of roads in the area.

The road from Srinagar (National Road No. 1) through Drass and Kargil is closed to civilian traffic and not scheduled to open until June 15. The Leh area of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir is unaffected at this time. The Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to the Kashmir valley area of Jammu and Kashmir. Srinagar, the city of Jammu, and the Kashmir valley remain dangerous places where terrorist activities and violent civil disturbances continue." There is an increased risk to Western interests in India from global terrorism. Visitors to New Delhi should take extra care. Bomb explosions occur in public places in the city from time to time. Public transport has been targeted in various parts of India including New Delhi. The North East is a disturbed region. Visitors should travel on essential business only, or in escorted groups. Permits are required for travel to Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Visitors should be wary of approaches by strangers. Confidence men (particularly in Agra and Jaipur) promise a substantial cash reward for delivery of jewelery abroad but only in return for an initial financial deposit. The jewelery is invariably worthless and the deposit is lost. Driving on Indian roads can be hazardous. Poor driving and badly maintained vechicles, together with unlit or poorly lit buses and trucks are the main cause of accidents. Piracy/armed robbery against ships has occurred in and around India's waters. Mariners are advised to be vigilant and take appropriate precautions.

INDIA/PAKISTAN

A senior Indian minister warned there is little point in peace talks with Pakistan while India is trying to suppress militants in Indian-administered Kashmir. Tensions between the two countries are rising as India continues its campaign against the guerrillas. India says Pakistan is supporting armed groups on the Indian side of the Kashmir Line of Control, which separates the region into Pakistan and Indian-administered areas.

Pakistan, which denies supporting the guerrilla fighters, is planning to send its foreign minister to Delhi for talks aimed at alleviating the crisis. No date has been set for the mission, which has been put in doubt by the Indian government's latest statements. Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said: "There cannot be peace talks if Pakistan keeps engaging in acts of aggression. I do not believe that such an intrusion could have been planned, executed, or supported in the fashion in which it has been, without the active connivance and support of the Pakistani armed forces."

Since India began its campaign against forces inside Indian-administered Kashmir, firing across the demarcation line has intensified. Pakistan reports that schools on its side of the border have been hit two days running by Indian missiles. India denies hitting civilian targets. Islamabad has described the situation as dangerous and tense, and has warned of an escalation of its efforts in the region.

The latest fighting represents the worst crisis in the region since the two countries fought their last war over Kashmir nearly 30 years ago. This time both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons.

INDIA/PAKISTAN

Pakistan says at least nine children were killed when their school was hit by Indian mortar fire in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The school is said to be located in Neelum valley. Police said several other children were injured, but there has been no independent confirmation of the attack. The Indian Defense Ministry has denied the report. The attack came as heavy fighting was reported in the disputed region with India pressing on with combined air and ground strikes against suspected infiltrators.

Indian military sources are quoted as saying fighting continued overnight against Pakistani-backed militants. Fresh air raids were launched on Tuesday morning with Indian Mirage 2000 fighters pressed into service. Close combat is also being reported under the cover of artillery and sniper fire.

Indian military sources have reported a heavy troop build up on the Pakistani side of the border. India has also massed more than four times its normal troop size, although accurate figures are hard to come by on either side.

Heavy artillery fire continued on day seven of the conflict.

As the fighting continued, the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Sartaj Aziz, said he hopes to receive confirmation from India soon as to when he can travel to New Delhi to begin talks aimed at easing the tension over Kashmir. India has  agreed to host Aziz in New Delhi - the first sign that the two sides might want to defuse the tensions over Kashmir.

On Monday, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes outlined India's losses and said he was unable to place a time-frame on the conflict. He said India had killed 320 militants and 150 Pakistan soldiers in fighting along the line of control.

The official Pakistani news agency has said that the rebels are firmly entrenched and have made considerable gains against the Indian army. Pakistan's army claimed it repulsed three separate attacks by Indian troops along the disputed border, inflicting heavy casualties. The statement could not be independently confirmed. The army statement said two Pakistani soldiers and an army officer were killed.

Close combat on the 15,100-foot high Tololing peak raged through the night in what commanders said was a crucial battle against the guerrillas. Indian soldiers reportedly neared guerrilla positions, in some places within 10 yards, said commanders.Two Indian soldiers were killed Monday by sniper fire on Tololing.

LEAD FOCUS

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

INDIA/PAKISTAN (EmergencyNet News) - India has agreed to a visit by the Pakistani Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz for talks to try defuse the escalating crisis over Kashmir. An Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had accepted the offer of his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, to send Mr Aziz to Delhi. The spokesman said that the dates for the Pakistani foreign minister's visit will be worked out through diplomatic channels.

The announcement came even as India continued its combined ground and air operations against what it claims are Pakistani backed infiltrators for the sixth day. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes has said India lost 43 men with 173 wounded and 12 missing. He said India had killed 320 militants and 150 Pakistan soldiers in fighting along the line of control.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said that Pakistan was attempting to alter the frontier in Kashmir. He described it as a kind of invasion. He also accused Pakistan of preparing for the confrontation when the two nations were meant to be trying to improve relations.

The official Pakistani news agency has said that the rebels are firmly entrenched and have made considerable gains against the Indian army.

On Saturday, Indian officials said a pilot whose plane was shot down by Pakistan forces over Kashmir died from bullet wounds suffered after he ejected safely. The body, which was returned to India on Saturday, was said to have two bullet wounds - one to the head and one to the chest.

Indian Air Marshall SK Malik said: "We condemn this. It was a cold-blooded murder, an act of cowardice. Ahuja (the dead pilot) also had a fractured left knee which is perhaps an injury caused after his ejection from the plane."

Malik said a post mortem carried out in India concluded that the MiG-21 pilot died from the head wound, and that the shot to the chest had damaged his internal organs. He added that Squadron Leader Ahuja was shot down while trying to locate a colleague, whose MiG-27 fighter plane crashed into the Pakistan-administered Kashmir after suffering mechanical failure.

Pakistani military spokesman Brigadier Rashid Qureshi said the allegation was ridiculous, as the pilot would have been more valuable alive than dead. Qureshi said that the pilot was dead before troops arrived on the scene, but he said he had asked for more information about the circumstances of his death.

The Pakistani military spokesman said a decision would be made soon over India's demand for the release of the pilot from the other plane downed last Thursday. The pilot was identified asK Nachiketa. The spokesman said certain legal procedures had tobe followed before Nachiketa could be freed, because the pilot had been carrying out hostile acts against Pakistan.

Following artillery exchanges between Indian troops and about 400 unidentified infiltrators in Indian-administered Kashmir, the deployment by New Delhi of warplanes and helicopters is the most serious escalation for more than 20 years. But as so often in Kashmir, the events of recent weeks have been subject to the usual claims and counter-claims by India and Pakistan.

The latest clashes are taking place on the so-called "Line of Control" (LOC), one of the most inhospitable lines of demarcation in the world. The boundary divides Kashmir on a two-to-one basis, with India controlling the larger territory. For six months of the year, heavy snow on the Line of Control makes the area uninhabitable.

Even the Indian army pulls out from time to time when the weather is exceptionally severe. Skirmishes happen regularly, mostly in the summer, when the snows melt in the high passes. Until now, the clashes have tended to be short-lived, with the insurgents reluctant to engage the Indian forces in heavy fighting.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they won independence from Britain in August 1947, two of them over Kashmir. The Line of Control itself was originally established in January 1949 as a ceasefire line, following the end of the first Kashmir war. In July 1972, after a second conflict, the LOC was re-established in the Simla Agreement, with minor variations.

The LOC is monitored by 45 military observers of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). According to the UN, their mission is "to observe, to the extent possible, developments pertaining to the strict observance of the ceasefire of December 1971 and to report these to the Secretary-General".

India has some 30,000 troops in the area, including special forces and paratroopers. The Indian army says that what it calls "infiltrators" are holding a small stretch of territory on the Indian side of the demarcation line - a region that includes the Dras, Kargil and Putali sectors of the Batelik mountain range. The Indian authorities insist that the militants - believed to include the Tehrik-e-Jihad group - have received support from the Pakistani army.

According to the Indian military command, the militants in Kargil probably moved in as early as the end of April. Then, following an early thaw, the army says the "infiltrators" pressed on into Indian territory, occupying high-altitude positions. The terrain has meant that any Indian army offensiveis fraught with difficulty. Indeed, army sources suggest the fighting around Kargil could last at least three months.

LEAD FOCUS

From the ERRI Watch Center

INDIA/PAKISTAN (EmergencyNet News) - India says it has made significant gains in its continuing air, artillery and ground operations against what it calls infiltrators in Indian-administered Kashmir. According to an Indian military spokesman, Indian troops are on the verge of hand-to-hand fighting in some areas.

Indian Major General JJ Singh said some areas in Indian-administered Kashmir, previously held by infiltrators, had been retaken, following four days of fighting. The Indian military reported that in the small town of Drass, infiltrators were reportedly dug-in barely 50 yards from Indian troops in some places. However, Pakistani military officials said the latest Indian attacks seem to have been less intense than in previous days.

Following Pakistan's diplomatic moves on Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said he was willing to talk, but that there would be no let up in the military campaign to eject alleged infiltrators from Indian territory.

However, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said on Saturday: "We do not believe it will escalate into a war." Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has written to the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, asking him to send a special envoy to the region and enlarge the UN observer mission there.

Fernandes responded to this by saying that India had assurances from the UK, the US, Russia and France - all permanent members of the UN Security Council - that the council would not discuss the fighting.

India's Major General Singh said around 300 "infiltrators" had been killed and nearly 700 wounded - more than half of the original number who had taken positions in Indian territory. He said there was now evidence of Pakistan regular army involvement in the intrusion - something Pakistan has denied.

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

INDIA/PAKISTAN (EmergencyNet News) - Pakistan says its foreign minister, Sartaj Aziz, will travel to India early next week to ease tensions in the disputed Kashmir region. Information minister Mushahid Hussain says Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India accepted the offer Pakistan made on Friday to send Aziz to New Delhi. News of the mission came only hours after India admitted one of its downed war planes had strayed into Pakistani airspace before it crashed.

The admission was made at a military briefing, as combined air and ground operations continued for the fourth day in Indian administered Kashmir. The army spokesman, Major General JJ Singh, reported considerable successes against suspected infiltrators, with around 300 killed and nearly 700 wounded. Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has written to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, asking him to send a special envoy to the region and enlarge the UN observer mission there.

Earlier Sharif and Vajpayee spoke about the crisis via a special hotline, and they agreed to resolve the crisis by dialogue. Speaking at a public meeting, held to mark the first anniversary of Pakistan's successful nuclear test, Sharif said he had called for urgent talks with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He said Vajpayee had agreed to the suggestion. There was no indication when or where the talks might take place. Sharif said he also told the Indian Prime Minister that sending planes to the Pakistani side of the line of control would only aggravate the situation.

As was reported by EmergencyNet News on Friday, Indian officials announced a third aircraft - a military helicopter - had been shot down. Officials said the helicopter was brought down by a shoulder-launched Stinger missile during operations to dislodge what they describe as Pakistani-backed infiltrators, high in the  Himalayas. All four crew members were killed.

On Thursday, two Indian fighter jets were downed by Pakistani armed forces, but they have denied any involvement in bringing down the helicopter. Pakistan says the two jets were shot down after violating its airspace above Pakistani administered Kashmir. In Kashmir itself, thousands of people have fled their homes following fighting near the line of control with Pakistan.

India says the infiltrators are mostly Islamic insurgents from Afghanistan, but with some Pakistani army regulars included. Pakistan says it has no knowledge of a recent infiltration of rebels from Pakistani territory, and has denied helping the infiltrators.

Although it is impossible to state the number of militants who are fighting against India in Kashmir, most analysts agree that since the insurgency began in 1989, the number has increased from hundreds to thousands.

The various militant groups face a substantial Indian security presence. According to figures provided by the Indian military, there are about 125,000 troops and paramilitaries in the Kashmir Valley and surrounding areas. Unofficial figures put that figure much higher.

The biggest and most influential insurgent factions are based outside the Kashmiri summer capital Srinagar and appear to be committed to accession to Pakistan. However, the three main groups are reluctant to stipulate in detail what they are fighting for, beyond the removal of India from Kashmir. The three biggest groups currently fighting in Kashmir are Lashkar-e-Toyeba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. It remains to be seen how long they will remain powerful because many militant groups in Kashmir that were prominent five years ago no longer appear to wield influence today.

The pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front was one of the most active militant groups at the start of the Kashmir insurgency, but today this group appears to have a dwindling membership and far less military power.

All three of the currently largest militant groups are thought to have bases in Pakistan, which says it provides them only with political, diplomatic and moral support. But India alleges that most militant groups receive weapons directly from Pakistan. Lashkar-e-Toyeba is predominantly made up of non-Kashmiri fighters and is thought to embrace a rigid form of Sunni Islam. Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the older militant groups, comprised mostly of Kashmiris. It has been active since the early days of the insurgency.

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen is believed to have been formed out of a merger of two factions, and according to defense sources it is in effect an international brigade, composed mainly of Afghans, Pakistanis and even some Arabs.

Non-Kashmiris first joined the insurgency in large numbers in 1994. Estimates of their number vary from 600 to 2000. Recently another group, called Tehreek-e-Jehad, has emerged in Pakistan and made statements which it says are on behalf of the militants targeted by India in the Kargil area of Indian administered Kashmir. This group, like many others that have emerged then  disappeared in Kashmir over the last decade, was previously unheard of.

One of the few organizations allowed by India to operate against its presence in Kashmir is the Hurriyat Conference. This is a non-violent umbrella group of secessionist organizations. It is made up of at least 23 constituent groups including trade unions and religious and political organizations. Although the Hurriyat is at pains to disassociate itself from violence, it is believed that the political wings of some militant groups are represented within its membership. Analysts say that Hurriyat's influence in Kashmir is undermined by its lack of unity. Members cannot agree, for example, whether Kashmir should become independent or part of Pakistan.

The current escalation in tensions in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir is leading to fears of a widening conflict between India and Pakistan. Only a few months ago the two countries seemed to be moving towards improving relations. So what went wrong? After tit-for-tat nuclear tests last year, the two countries appeared to move closer together.

This was, in part, to reassure the international community that the two new nuclear-armed states would not bring about a nuclear conflict on the sub-continent. In February, an historic visit by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to Pakistan was intended to push that message further, and the resulting Lahore Declaration sought to bring about a cross-border dialogue on their declared nuclear capability. A subsequent Pakistan trade mission to India highlighted the need for cross-border trade between the two. But Kashmir has always been a sticking point.

Some analysts are keen to play down the importance of the latest incident, in view of the wider improvement in Indo-Pakistan relations. They say that neither India nor Pakistan have a game plan and that the current situation is the result of confusion and miscalculation. They also say it is a localized problem and a matter of mismanagement along the border area.

But as the game of claim and counterclaim continues over the events in the mountainous area around Kargil, there can be no ignoring the fact that this is the most serious crisis within the region since 1991, when militant insurgency reached its height.

The situation is, in part, one of embarrassment for the Indian army, which was caught unaware by the militants who managed to dig in quickly in the mountainous terrain. India had decided to use air power because it believed it would be a more effective and cost-efficient way of clearing the area without employing a large number of ground troops.

Pakistan recognizes India's military superiority in terms of the size of its conventional forces. But domestic forces in both countries will, ultimately, determine the course each government takes. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may be swayed by public opinion, which is unlikely to tolerate what it sees as unprovoked Indian aggression. And while Sharif may be reluctant to retaliate, he must retain the confidence of his armed forces.

Some argue that without a resolution on Kashmir, which was always likely to be a flashpoint between the two countries, the improving relations between India and Pakistan were just illusory. According  to this view, the world media was overly optimistic about moves by both sides to patch up their differences.

The events in Kashmir come at a time when the BJP party in India is trying to stress its commitment to national security ahead of September's general election. Neither India nor Pakistan can afford an escalation in the crisis, despite what public opinion in both countries might want.

NEWS IN BRIEF

INDIA/PAKISTAN (EmergencyNet News) - India has lost another aircraft on the third day of its air campaign against suspected infiltrators in the disputed region of Kashmir. Indian sources in Kashmir say the military helicopter may have been shot down during operations to dislodge what they describe as Pakistani-backed infiltrators high in the Himalayas.

One report from Kashmir says the pilot managed to eject before it crashed. The loss of the helicopter follows the downing of two Indian warplanes on Thursday. However India says it is making substantial gains in cutting off supply lines to the insurgents.

Unconfirmed reports from the private STAR television channel say that New Delhi has dispatched advanced Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to strengthen its strike capability in Indian-administered Kashmir. Thousands of people have fled their homes following fighting near the line of control with Pakistan.

On Thursday, the two countries traded accusations over the downing of two Indian warplanes. India accused Pakistan of committing "a hostile and provocative act" by shooting down an Indian fighter that Delhi says was trying to help another jet experiencing mechanical difficulties. Pakistan said it shot down both planes - a MiG-21 and a MiG-27 - when they violated its airspace and that it was holding one of the pilots as a prisoner of war.

Pakistani Information Minister Mushahid Hussain said the pilot was in good health and might be put on television later on Friday. The other pilot was said to have been killed, and the wreckage of the planes was found well inside Pakistani-administrered territory. Helicopter gunships and bombers took part in strikes in mountainous territory near the line of control which divides Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir on Wednesday and Thursday.

India says the infiltrators are mostly Islamic insurgents from Afghanistan, but with   ome Pakistani army regulars included. Indian officials say there will be no let-up in the air strikes until their forces have reached their goal of re-occupying their positions at heights of 5,000 meters, which are being held by a large group of infiltrators.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Russia, Japan and China have all appealed for calm. On Thursday, US State Department officials expressed American concern to the Indian and Pakistani ambassadors in separate meetings.

Pakistan is reportedly preparing for further retaliation but is unlikely to take action that will lead to all out war. The government has called for the UN to send an envoy to the region. Pakistan says it has no knowledge of a recent infiltration of rebels from Pakistani territory, and has denied helping the infiltrators. It has warned that it reserves the right to retaliate if Indian attacks spill over the line. Its army is on high alert.

For several weeks, India had been using mortar fire and heavy artillery in its attempt to dislodge more than 600 men from mountainous territory in the northern Kargil region.

The intensification of the conflict is of particular concern following Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests in May 1998. Military analysts continue to say that at this point all-out war between India and Pakistan is thought unlikely.

In other news from Kahsmir -- A senior defense official said on Thursday that four people were killed and six others were wounded in a bomb blast on a key highway connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of India. The bomb went off at Banihal on the Jammu-Srinagar road, some 125 miles east of Jammu.

LEAD FOCUS

From the ERRI Watch Center

PAKISTAN/INDIA (EmergencyNet News) - Pakistan says it shot down two Indian fighter jets that crossed into its territory along the disputed Kashmir border. A military spokesman said the planes - a Mig-21 and a MiG-27 - had violated Pakistani air space. Brigadier Rashid Kureshi said one pilot had been killed, the other had been captured and the wreckage of the planes was in Pakistani territory.

The incident came as India carried out further air strikes against what New Delhi describes as Pakistani infiltrators inside Indian-administered Kashmir. The shooting marks a new level of conflict between Pakistan and India.

Pakistani Information Minister Mushahid Hussain said the jets were targeted in self defense. He said: "We hope that Indians will see sense, they will see reason, and they will stop these violations of Pakistani air space."

India launched a third wave of air attacks on Thursday, despite international calls for restraint. Helicopter gunships and air force bombers took part in strikes in mountainous territory near the line of control which divides Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

The air attacks against the infiltrators, said by India to be mostly Afghan nationals, but with some Pakistani army regulars included, began on Wednesday. Indian officials say there will be no let-up in the air strikes until their forces have reached their goal of re-occupying their positions at heights of 5,000 meters, which are being held by a large group of infiltrators. India says it has been  targeting tents, stores and hideouts used by the infiltrators. Indian Television reported that at least 200 had been killed.

India has denied Pakistani reports that bombs fell on the Pakistan side of the line of control. Pakistan says it has no knowledge of a recent infiltration of rebels from Pakistani territory, and denied helping the infiltrators. It has warned that it reserves the right to retaliate if Indian attacks spill over the line. It has put its army on high alert and called on the United Nations to send an envoy to the region. An Indian military spokesman said some military movement had been observed on the Pakistan side, but nothing provocative.

For several weeks, India had been using mortar fire and and heavy artillery in its attempt to dislodge more than 600 men from mountainous territory in the northern Kargil region.

The two countries have fought three wars in the past 52 years, two of them over Kashmir. The intensification of the conflict is of particular concern following Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests in May 1998.

At this point, an all-out war between India and Pakistan is thought unlikely. But analysts say some political initiative will be necessary to calm tensions and there is no sign of where that might come from.

Total Armed forces - 1,175,000 plus 528,400 reserves.

Army: 980,000 personnel in five regional commands,

3,414 battle tanks,

one surface-to-surface missile regiment.

one aircraft carrier,

six destroyers,

19 submarines,

18 frigates.

Naval Air Force has 67 combat aircraft including 17 Sea Harriers and 83 armed helicopters.

772 combat aircraft and

32 armed helicopters.

*****

Total Armed forces - Active 587,000, plus 513,000 reserves.

520,000 personnel,

2,120 tanks,

18 surface-to-surface Hatf 1 missile, Hatf 2 (under development).

22,000 personnel,

nine submarines,

eight frigates,

two destroyers.

Naval Air Force has seven combat aircraft and 12 armed helicopters.

From the ERRI Watch Center

INDIA (EmergencyNet News) - India on Wednesday launched its first peacetime air strikes in Kashmir and warned Pakistan not to interfere as New Delhi used force to dislodge guerrillas. The raids marked the worst turn in ties with Pakistan since the neighbors tested nuclear weapons a year ago and signaled a sharp departure from the annual summertime skirmishing across a cease-fire line in Kashmir.

Pakistan reacted cautiously to the strikes, saying it would defend itself if attacked. An Indian Defense Ministry statement said: "Any escalation of this conflict will be entirely the responsibility of Pakistan. This is the start of operations and they will continue till our defense forces reoccupy our territory."

Defense officials said Mi-17 helicopter gunships backed by jet fighters made six sorties between 0630 and 0830 hours local time, strafing the Drass and Kargil sectors where hundreds of rebels were dug in. The Press Trust of India news agency said Srinagar airport in Indian-ruled Kashmir had been closed to civilian traffic and additional troops were being airlifted to Drass and Kargil.

New Delhi said it was forced to stage the air strikes because the intruders, many of them suspected Afghan militants, would have been difficult to neutralize with ground action alone as they were dug in on "very high ridges."

The Indian defense statement said: "They are not only supported directly by the Pakistan Army, but Pakistan Army regulars are believed to be participating along with them. If not contained at this stage, Pakistan would have been encouraged to extend its operations further. Delayed action would have called for a more severe action, possibly increasing the areas as well as the scope of operations."

India stressed that its air attacks, which it described as "effective," were staged well inside the Line of Control, the cease-fire line that divides Kashmir between the hostile neighbors.

A senior Indian defense official said on Tuesday that Afghan mercenaries backed by Pakistani army supplies had quietly taken position on several heights overlooking a strategic road connecting Srinagar with Kargil and beyond to the Ladakh region. Defense officials said the last straw was when an Indian reconnaissance plane was shot at and hit two days ago as it flew over the positions held by the militants.