SOUTH ASIA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

2232their units from such practices has led to reduced participation in them and a transferof some of these abuses to government-supported countermilitants.According to credible reports, in addition to harassment during searches and arbitraryarrests (see Section 1.d.) security forces abduct and sometimes use civiliansas human shields in night patrolling and searching for landmines; the abuses so farhave occurred mostly in the Kupwara and Doda districts. Because of Doda’s inaccessibility,the abuses there allegedly have been underreported greatly.The spring and summer 1999 incursion of Pakistan-backed armed forces into territoryon the Indian side of the line of control new Kargil in the state of Jammuand Kashmir resulted in an increased counterinsurgency campaign, accompanied byrepressive offensive measures. According to a credible government source, as ofearly December 1999 over 450 militants had been killed since the Kargil conflictbegan. That trend continued, with official sources reporting that security forces hadkilled 1,062 militants during the first 9 months of the year. In September 1999,then-chief of army staff Gen. Ved Malik said that security forces were killing 150to 160 militants every month in Jammu and Kashmir.Kashmiri militant groups also committed serious abuses.Militants carried out several execution-style mass murders of Hindu (Pandit),Sikh, and Buddhist villagers in Jammu and Kashmir (see Sections 1.a. and 5). OnMarch 20, suspected militants killed 35 Sikhs in Chatisinghpura village, Anantnagdistrict (see Sections 1.a. and 5). On April 26, militants invaded a home in Golgamvillage and killed four members of a Hindu family. On July 30, militants hurled ahand grenade into a jeep carrying Hindu religious pilgrims near Gulmarg, killingone person and injuring five others (see Section 5).In addition to political killings, kidnapings, and rapes of politicians and civilians(see Sections 1.a., 1.b., and 1.c.), insurgents engaged in extortion and carried outacts of random terror that killed hundreds of Kashmiris. Many of the militants arenot citizens but Afghani, Pakistani, and other nationals. Since the 1990’s, the militantshave made liberal use of timedelayed explosives, landmines, hand grenades,and snipers. Militants previously had restricted landmine use to army convoys travelingoutside of major cities, but during the year they began using command detonatedlandmines in Srinagar city. There was a significant upsurge in militant violenceagainst security forces, and a tendency to use heavy weapons such as handgrenades and rockets. Militants killed and injured numerous security personnel anddestroyed a great deal of security force property; many civilians also were killed. OnJanuary 3, a bomb explosion in a Srinagar market killed 16 persons, including 3security force members. On February 10, militants planted a bomb on a Calcuttaboundtrain. The bomb exploded near Vijaypur, Jammu district, killing two personsand injuring four others. On March 27, militants hurled hand grenades at a policepatrol in Bandipora town, killing 3 civilians and injuring 11 others. On April 12,militants exploded a powerful car bomb in Rawalpora on the outskirts of Srinagaras an army convoy was passing by; one civilian was injured in the blast. On April19, a 15-year-old boy recruited by militants died in an explosion when he attemptedto drive an explosivesladen car into army headquarters, Badamibagh Cantonment,Srinagar; four soldiers and three civilians were injured in the attack. Also on April19, in Baramulla, 2 students, aged 17 and 11, were killed and 20 passersby wereinjured when militants hurled a hand grenade at a security force vehicle convoy andmissed; the hand grenade exploded in a market in Sopore town. On April 22, agroup of militants attacked an army post in Punch district, killing two soldiers. OnApril 26, militants detonated a homemade bomb in Gharanarial, Jammu, killing fiveBorder Security Force members. On April 29, an 18-year-old student was killed andfour police personnel were injured when militants detonated an explosive device inSher Bagh, Anantnag district. On May 10, four soldiers were killed when their vehiclehit a landmine planted by militants at Nihalpura village, Baramula district. OnMay 15, Ghulam Hasan Bhatt, Minister of Power, Jammu and Kashmir state, hisdriver, two body guards and radioman were killed when militants detonated a landmineunder their passing vehicle. On May 16, one soldier was killed and two otherswere injured when militants fired rockets at an army camp in Sudru village,Banihal. Sixteen persons were killed, including 11 militants, 3 civilians, and a soldier,when militants armed with rockets and hand grenades attacked an army campat Khundroo, Anantnag on June 1. On August 10, in Srinagar, a car bomb explosionset by militants killed 10 persons and injured approximately 30 others. The carbomb explosion occurred just minutes after police and journalists had rushed to, andcivilians had vacated, the site of a hand grenade attack. On August 21, a landmineblast in Kupwara district killed three security force personnel, including a seniorlevelbrigadier. On August 24, a landmine injured five security force personnel whena vehicle drove over it in Puthkhai, northern Kashmir. On September 23, two bombexplosions killed seven civilians in Sangalsan village, Udhampur. 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