Militant killed in Indian Kashmir; explosives cache recovered

Oct 9, 2009, 9:52 GMT

   Srinagar, Kashmir - A member of the Islamic militant Hizbul Mujahideen outfit was killed by security forces in India-administered Kashmir and a large cache of explosives recovered from him, police said Friday.

   At least 30 kilograms of explosives had been recovered from Abu Maya, who was killed Thursday in a joint operation by the army and police at Gusu village in southern Kashmir's Pulwama district, district police Superintendent Kifayat Haider said.

   'He was an IED [improvised explosive device] expert and was planning attacks,' Haider said. 'Had he succeeded, it would have been disastrous.'

   According to the Indian Army, Abu was a Pakistani national who had been operating in India-administered Kashmir for five years.

   More than 45,000 people have died in the secessionist strife in India-administered Kashmir since the late 1980s.

   The disputed Kashmir region is divided into two parts, one administered by India and the other by Pakistan.

 India accuses Pakistan of training militants and helping Kashmiri rebels foment trouble in Indian-administered Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies.