Cry for freedom in Kashmir

A supporter of All Parties Hurriyat Conference shouts pro-freedom slogans as he is detained by police during a protest Sunday, the anniversary of the death of separatist leader Maqbool Bhat, in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir.

JAMMU, India — Shooting between soldiers and militants holed up inside an army camp in Indian-controlled Kashmir has left at least five soldiers and one civilian dead, officials said Sunday, the second day of the battle.

The fighting, which began at dawn Saturday when the militants stormed the Sunjuwan army base on the outskirts of the city of Jammu, continued into Sunday afternoon, said the region’s top police official, S.P. Vaid. At least 11 people were injured.

Security forces were sweeping through the camp slowly, since soldiers and their families live there, Vaid said. It was unclear how many militants were involved in the attack.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and archrival and neighbor Pakistan. Both claim the region in its entirety.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep among Kashmir’s mostly Muslim population. Several militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. About 70,000 people have been killed.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the militants, a charge Islamabad denies.

AP/DAR YASIN