DATE=2/27/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=PAKISTAN/INDIA/KASHMIR (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-259614 BYLINE=AYAZ GUL DATELINE=ISLAMABAD INTERNET=YES CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: There are conflicting reports from the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir about an attack on an Indian military post that left several Indian soldiers dead. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad. TEXT: Pakistan's government is rejecting as "totally baseless" reports its troops killed six Indian soldiers in a cross-border attack in disputed Kashmir. Indian officials are quoted as saying those killed were manning an Indian military post close to the "Line of Control" that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. India says another Indian officer and three soldiers are missing in the pre-dawn attack. An official Pakistani statement says Pakistani army troops are not involved in any such action. It says the allegation is "a cover-up" for an assault by Indian troops on the Pakistani side of the region Thursday, in which 14 villagers were massacred. Pakistan accused Indian soldiers of crossing the line of control and killing the villagers. Meanwhile, a militant Islamic group, Harkat-ul Jehad- e-Islami, is claiming responsibility for the attack on the Indian post (Sunday). The group says it has avenged Thursday's killings by attacking Indian troops across the cease-fire line. Reports from Pakistani Kashmir say the group made announcements at local mosques that its guerrillas brought back the body of one Indian army officer and the heads of three soldiers. There has been no independent confirmation the announcement is accurate. There are more than a dozen Pakistan-based Muslim militant groups fighting Indian rule in the two-thirds of Kashmir under New Delhi's control. Pakistan, which controls the rest, denies Indian charges that it is providing military training to the insurgents. Both Pakistan and India claim the entire region and have fought two wars over Kashmir since becoming independent in 1947. (SIGNED) NEB/AG/RAE 27-Feb-2000 12:27 PM EDT (27-Feb-2000 1727 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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