Indian defense minister to visit Indian-controlled Kashmir

NEW DELHI, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony is to visit Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday to review the security situation in the region following reports of repeated infiltration attempts by militants across the border, a senior Indian official said.

"The Defense Minister will lead a high-level team which includes Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and Defense Secretary Pradeep Kumar during the one-day visit. He will be briefed by field commanders in the region about the country's preparedness to deal with any war-like situation," the official said.

The visit comes days after Indian security forces killed two militants, allegedly belonging to the Pakistani terror outfit Lashker-e-Toiba, who were holed up in a hotel in the Indian-controlled Kashmir's capital Srinagar, after a 22-hour-long fiercegun battle.

Confirming the deaths, police chief Kuldeep Khooda told the media in Srinagar last week that concerted efforts were being made by terrorists to hit targets in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"There is desperation in infiltration, there is desperation in carrying out such attacks," he said.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/11/content_12791973.htm.