Indian troops storm Kashmir hotel
A standoff in the main market area of Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, has ended after nearly 24 hours, with the death of two fighters at the hands of security forces. Kuldeep Khuda, the police chief of Indian Kashmir, said on the Thursday that "the operation as far as we are concerned is over". A small hotel taken over by the men was left in flames after the police operation. The standoff began when the attackers threw grenades and opened fire in Srinagar's Lal Chowk, before forcing their way into the hotel on Wednesday. The police had cleared the four-stored building from top floor before encountering and killing the first fighter on Thursday morning, Khuda said. "The other terrorist tried to set the building on fire ... the building caught fire and he tried to make his escape but he was shot down," he said. "We are trying to find out if any more terrorists were inside but there are two bodies that are visible." The attackers had taken over the hotel after killing a policeman. A second man died of injuries in hospital and nine people were injured.
Overnight exchangesThe hotel was surrounded by security forces on Wednesday, but no attempt was made to storm the building overnight, amid reports that some civilians were trapped inside. There were sporadic exchanges of fire during the night. The men were believed to be moving from room to room inside the building, firing intermittently to keep soldiers at bay, Prabhakar Singh, a senior security officer, told the Reuters news agency earlier on Thursday. Jamait-ul-Mujahideen, an armed group which wants Kashmir to be merged with Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to inflict heavy damage on Indian security forces. "The attack is in response to India's propaganda that the armed struggle has weakened in Kashmir," it said.
Anti-Indian protests
Overnight, police fired teargas to disperse young Kashmiri men who threw stones at them, chanting "Kashmiri Mujahedeen, we are with you" and "We want freedom". Describing the attack on Wednesday, Mohammed Sayeed Malik, a journalist in Srinagar, told Al Jazeera: "It is high-impact news. They couldn't have chosen a better target in Kashmir. "It is the commercial heart of the Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir, and the message will be loud and clear." Muslim groups have been fighting for independence from India or a merging with its neighbour Pakistan since 1989, with almost 70,000 people being killed during the conflict. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, who both claim sovereignty over all the territory.
Source: Al Jazeera
Aid groups warn of Sudan civil war risk
Ten international aid groups say a 2005 peace deal in Sudan is on the verge of collapse and that the world must act now to prevent renewed conflict.The agencies blamed a "lethal cocktail" of rising violence, chronic poverty and political tensions. Sudan is due to hold a referendum on independence for the oil-rich south in January 2011. Britain has pledged £54m ($87m) in aid to help rebuild southern Sudan and prepare for general elections in April. The peace deal five years ago ended a 22-year civil war that left some 1.5 million people dead. It saw President Omar al-Bashir's northern National Congress Party (NCP) enter government with former Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) rebels from the south. A key part of the deal was next year's referendum, in which it is widely expected that the south will vote for independence.
South 'deteriorating'
In their report, the aid agencies cite disputes over Sudan's oil resources, national elections in April and the independence referendum as potential flashpoints. A return to conflict would have devastating consequences extending far beyond south Sudan, they say. The BBC's James Copnall in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, says the country is clearly at the start of a highly charged and risky 12 months. However, he notes that unlike at the outset of previous crises, there is a heavy international presence in the country. The military worth of the UN peacekeeping mission has yet to be tested, but nearly 10,000 military personnel are charged with keeping the peace, he says. Sudan's ambassador to London, Omar Muhammad Siddiq, acknowledged that the situation in South Sudan was "deteriorating". He said communities there were arming themselves and were fighting "tribal wars", mainly over the competition for scarce resources. "The situation is not as good as we were expecting after the signature of the comprehensive peace agreement," he said.However, he argued that the unrest would not affect the elections, in which he said parties and voters were preparing to participate. British Foreign Office Minister Glenys Kinnock, who is due to visit Sudan, noted that it was one of the world's poorest countries. "They are doing disastrously, and that is reflected in the terrible poverty and relentless suffering of the people," she said. But she added that fully-blown conflict could still be averted. "I think we still have time to ensure that we do see a peaceful, stable Sudan being built around the framework of an election and a referendum," she said. "What we're asking is for the leadership of both sides, of the government of the South and the government of Sudan, [is] that they ensure that they talk together, they work together with the same motivation, which is to bring peace and security to Sudan."
Source: BBC
