Saturday, January 9, 2010

South Asian Rivals Exchange Fire Over Border

Two nuclear powers in South Asia reportedly exchanged fire in the border area over the weekend. Around midnight, India fired four rockets over the Pakistan border in retaliation to two unexploded rockets that were found along the Indian border. Pakistan denied the claim of two rockets being sent from their side. Indian border guards have been instructed to "retaliate heavily," however, as of now the firing has stopped. Indian government official Home Minister P. Chidambaram hinted that Pakistan was involved in the attack in Srinagar earlier in the week, which led to the death of two Indian militants. The two nations have a long history of fighting over territory, until they reached a ceasefire agreement in 2003. However, tensions rose again in November 2008, after the deadly attacks in Mumbai, which claimed the life of 160 people. Since this time, violence and hostility have escalated between the two nations, leaving behind the peaceful participation shown in previous years.

By: Alyssa Rabulinski

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