Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=01/16/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-271421

TITLE=KASHMIR ATTACK (L)

BYLINE=JIM TEEPLE

DATELINE=NEW DELHI

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Separatist militants have attacked the main airport in Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state. Eleven people died in a gun battle - the six militants who carried out the attack, three members of the security forces and two civilians - and at least six others were wounded. Correspondent Jim Teeple reports there has been an upsurge in violence in Indian-administered Kashmir in recent days, and senior Indian officials have begun what they describe as a review of the security situation in the region.

TEXT: A spokesman for the militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba was quick to claim credit for the attack, saying it was carried out by a so-called "suicide squad." It was the second such attack in the past week on Srinagar airport - one of the most heavily guarded institutions in India's state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Separatist militants wearing Indian Border Security Force uniforms attacked an outer gate of the airport at mid-afternoon, hurling grenades at security force personnel guarding the main approach to the terminal. Fighting continued for more than an hour, spreading to shops in the neighborhood. One of the civilians caught in the crossfire was a 13-year-old girl; another was a bank employee.

The attack in Srinagar came just a day after a senior Indian diplomat met with Pakistan's chief executive, General Pervez Musharraf, in Islamabad, in a bid to start talks aimed at easing tensions in Kashmir. Media reports say neither side budged on core positions. New Delhi says Pakistan must stop what it calls "cross-border terrorism" in Kashmir before any talks can take place. Islamabad, which denies supporting the separatists, says a dialogue including separatist militants is the only way to end the dispute.

India's unilateral cease-fire in Kashmir has been in effect for over a month, but there are indications India is hardening its stance on Kashmir. Senior officials are said to be leaning toward rejecting a request to grant passports to several leading Kashmir separatists, who want to travel to Pakistan this week to meet with separatist militants and Pakistani officials. India's influential Home Minister, L-K Advani, says a critical review of the security situation in Kashmir is now underway. (Signed)

NEB/JLT/WTW