October 19, 2001	Friday	Shaba'an 1, 1422

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SRINAGAR, Oct 18: Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged fire across the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday and 25 people were killed in clashes in occupied Kashmir.

Indian defence spokesman Major C.K. Aggarwal accused Pakistan of starting the firing and “necessary retaliation” was taken by Indian troops.

“For the first time Pakistan used automatic grenade launchers and heavy-calibre weapons in this area and fired on civilian areas,” he alleged.

Seven Indian soldiers were among the 25 people killed in clashes in the held state.

In one of the worst outbreaks of fighting, at Haripura village, about 50 kilometres south of Srinagar, three Mujahideen and three Indian soldiers were killed.

“It was a seven-hour-long gunbattle which started late on Wednesday and ended on Thursday,” a police spokesman said. In the Kupwara district, police claimed the Indian army shot dead six Mujahideen near the Line of Control.

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: A senior leader of the National Conference party survived an assassination attempt when the Mujahideen fired two rifle grenades at a rally he was holding in Baramulla, 55kms north of Srinagar.—AFP