Rebel standoff in Kashmir enters 2nd with 4 dead, 13 wounded

SRINAGAR, India, Feb 21: A handful of rebels holed up in a building in the Indian portion of Kashmir are exchanging fire with government forces for the second straight day, raising the number of dead to three soldiers and one civilian. Another 13 paramilitary troops are wounded.

Paramilitary spokesman Bhavesh Chaudhary says the rebels, numbering two to three, fired guns and grenades early Sunday as Indian commandos tried to storm the government building where they have been hiding since Saturday.

The firing killed an army captain and injured four paramilitary soldiers. Two paramilitary soldiers and one civilian were killed on Saturday and nine paramilitary troops hospitalized.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for either independence or a merger with neighboring Pakistan.

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