A series of clashes in the past week has ended a period of relative calm that had existed along the Line of Control, which divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan. On Jan. 6, a Pakistani soldier was killed in a skirmish between forces from the two countries near the town of Uri. Islamabad accused Indian forces of attacking a Pakistani post in the mountainous region; New Delhi rejected the claim, saying its actions were defensive. On Jan. 8, India accused Pakistani forces of ambushing an Indian unit that was patrolling a heavily forested area in thick fog a half-mile inside Indian territory. According to Indian army sources, the bodies of two Indian troops killed in the firefight were later found badly mutilated, with one apparently beheaded. The sources also said that the Pakistani troops that allegedly attacked the Indian patrol had been disguised in black headscarves commonly worn by young Sikhs. Pakistan denied that its forces had killed "any Indian soldier" and described the accusations as propaganda designed to distract attention from the Jan. 6 clash. On Jan. 10, a Pakistani soldier manning a post was reportedly killed by what Islamabad said was unprovoked fire by Indian forces. Certain unusual aspects of the flare-up have left open the question of whether militants have been conducting cross-border attacks in hopes of triggering a conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad.
