India, Pakistan Troops Exchange Fire Through NightIndian and Pakistani troops fought a fierce gunbattle through Monday night across the frontier in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir even as Washington asked the nuclear rivals to cool tensions.A senior security official said on Tuesday troops exchanged heavy fire along the border in the state's southern Jammu region. "Tensions are high but the borders have been quiet since daybreak," he said. The official said he was waiting for detailed reports of an earlier incident on the border on Monday in which the army launched heavy mortar fire at Pakistani posts in the same region to stop cross-border infiltration. Islamabad said one woman was killed and 25 people wounded in the earlier incident of firing by Indian troops but India said the reports of firing on Pakistani civilians were baseless. The fighting between the South Asian foes comes as US Secretary of State Colin Powell begins talks on Tuesday with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad while US-led strikes continued in neighbouring Afghanistan. Powell is due to arrive in New Delhi later on Tuesday for talks with Indian leaders. |
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