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[ti:] |
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[al:] |
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The sound of gun shots and explosions |
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echoed through the centre of Srinagar |
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after gunmen opened fire in Lal Chowk, |
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the main square in the city's commercial district. |
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After a relatively quiet period in Kashmir, |
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there have been several recent attacks - |
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four soldiers were killed in an ambush |
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by militants last week. |
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But this latest attack is even more audacious, |
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right in the heart of |
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one of the most heavily policed cities in the world. |
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Violent separatist groups, |
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some of them backed by Pakistan, |
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have taken up arms against Indian rule |
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in Kashmir for 20 years. |
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The fighting is far less intense |
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than it was in the 1990s, |
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but a political solution to Kashmir's problems remains elusive. |
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So it's been a bloody start to the New Year |
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in this highly sensitive region, |
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which has been divided between India |
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and Pakistan for decades. |
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In another sign of the complexity of the conflict, |
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four Pakistani soldiers have been killed |
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by a suicide bomber |
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in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. |
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It's a worrying development |
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for the Pakistani authorities, |
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which suggests that Taliban militants |
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may be trying to expand their area of operations. |