Indian army officer killed in firing in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — An Indian army officer was killed Friday in an unprovoked firing from across the cease-fire line with Pakistan in disputed Kashmir, the army said.

S.N. Acharya, an army spokesman, said it was not yet known whether the firing was from Pakistani troops or Kashmiri insurgents trying to infiltrate into Indian territory.

The attackers used small arms and fired grenades that damaged an Indian army bunker and killed the officer, Acharya said.

The firing took place in Poonch sector, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian portion of Kashmir.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. Both claim it in entirety and have fought two wars over the region since 1947.

The longtime rivals signed a 2003 cease-fire accord that has mostly worked. Each side occasionally accuses the other of violating it by firing mortars or gunshots across the Line of Control dividing Kashmir between them.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Kashmiri insurgents who have been fighting for Kashmir's independence or merger with Pakistan since 1989, a charge Islamabad denies. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the fighting.

Although the rebellion has largely been suppressed by Indian troops in recent years, public resentment against Indian rule remains deep and the resistance is now principally expressed through street protests.