--SUPERS--
CNN News 18
FILE (September 18, 2016)
Uri, Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir

 --LEAD IN--
ONE OF THE DEADLIEST ATTACKS IN INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR IN MORE THAN TWO DECADES, BEGAN A NEW CHAPTER IN THE INDIA-PAKISTAN GEOPOLITICAL SAGA.
 --VO SCRIPT--
IN THE EARLY MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 18TH, ARMED MILITANTS ENTERED AN INDIAN ARMY BASE IN THE GARRISON TOWN OF URI KILLING 18 SOLDIERS.
THE ATTACK, WHICH TOOK PLACE NEAR THE DE FACTO BORDER BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN IN THE DISPUTED REGION, WAS ONE OF THE DEADLIEST ON AN ARMY BASE IN KASHMIR SINCE MILITANT ATTACKS BEGAN IN 1989. 

 --CNN WIRE--

 India and Pakistan"s bitter dispute: What you need to know
 By Katie Hunt
 CNN
 (CNN) -- It"s a stunning region of snow-capped peaks nestled in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges favored by Bollywood directors. 
 It"s also home to a 69-year conflict -- one of the world"s longest running. 
 India and Pakistan have been fighting over Kashmir since both countries gained their independence in 1947. 


 How did the trouble start?

 The conflict in Kashmir is rooted in the painful birth of India and Pakistan.
 Britain relinquished its control of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, splitting it into a predominantly Hindu India and a Muslim Pakistan.
 Kashmir was free to accede to either nation. 
 According to the United Nations, "its accession to India became a matter of dispute between the two countries and fighting broke out later that year." 

 Who controls what?

 India, Pakistan and China all claim partial or complete ownership of Kashmir.
 India-controlled: One state, called Jammu and Kashmir, makes up the southern and eastern portions of the region, totaling about 45% of Kashmir.
 Pakistan-controlled: Three areas called Azad Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan make up the northern and western portions of the region, totaling about 35% of Kashmir.
 China-controlled: One area called Aksai Chin in the northeastern part of the region, equaling 20% of Kashmir.
 India also alleges Pakistan has ceded 3,220 square miles in Kashmir to China.
 The Line of Control divides the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir is 435 miles (700 km) long.


 The tensions are at their worst in a decade

 India and Pakistan have fought three wars against each other since 1947 -- two over Kashmir in 1947 and 1965. 
 Even after both countries became nuclear powers in 1998, they came close to war once again in 1999.
 The Council on Foreign Relations says both countries have maintained a fragile ceasefire since 2003, although the two rivals regularly exchange fire across the border. 
 The recent tensions are perhaps the worst in a decade.
 On September 18, armed militants attacked a remote Indian Army base in Uri, near the Line of Control, killing 19 Indian soldiers in the deadliest attack on the Indian armed forces in decades.
 And on September 29, two Pakistani soldiers were killed after clashes with Indian troops on the de facto border between the two countries.

 The conflict comes at huge cost

 The separatist violence has killed more than 47,000 people since 1989, although this toll doesn"t include people who have disappeared due to the conflict. 
 Some human rights groups and nongovernmental organizations put the death toll at twice that amount.
 It"s also disrupted the region"s economy. 
 It was known as "paradise on Earth" and Indians flocked to Kashmir for vacations in its cooler climate. 
 But the unrest has meant it has largely been off the tourist circuit for decades. 

 CNN"s Ravi Agrawal and Moni Basu contributed to this report.

 -----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----

 --KEYWORD TAGS--
URI ATTACK INDIA PAKISTAN KASHMIR BORDER



Kashmiri Shia Muslims are participating in a procession on the 8th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in Srinagar. Two major Muharram processions along the traditional routes in Srinagar have not been allowed since the anti-India insurgency erupted in 1989. However, last year and this Muharram, the administration is allowing a smaller procession in the early morning hours only. It is during this procession that pro-Palestine, anti-Israel, and pro-Gaza slogans are being shouted. The biggest Muharram procession along a route in Srinagar continues to be banned despite entreaties by various Shia leaders. Support for Palestine, Hezbollah, and Iran is being openly expressed by the Shia community in Kashmir during their religious or political processions. (Footage by Adil Abass/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

TAPE: EF02/0786 IN_TIME: 02:22:59 DURATION: 0:34 SOURCES: APTN RESTRICTIONS: DATELINE: Tangdar, Kupwara district, 16 Sept 2002 SHOTLIST: 1. Line of Indian soldiers involved in shoot-out 2. Various of mortar bombs on table 3. Nine dead militants 4. Aerial over district STORYLINE: Polls in Indian-controlled Kashmir opened with violence on Monday, with a rocket attack by suspected Islamic separatists killing one and the threat of more bloodshed leaving many others too frightened to participate in a crucial local election. Indian soldiers also claimed to have shot dead nine suspected militants in Tangdar in the Kupwara district, 115 miles (185 kilometres) north of the capital Srinigar. The Indian army paraded the bodies and said they were not Kashmiris, but ''foreign'' - although they would not elaborate further. Also on display were a collection of captured weapons including AK-47s and mortar bombs which the Indian authorities claimed the militants had used. But in spite of the recent violence, by the standards of Kashmir the voting was far less chaotic than many here had feared. There were no other reports of civilian deaths by the time balloting ended. Voters cast their ballots under the protection of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and police who were on high alert. Islamic militants, who have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989, have killed nearly 100 political activists this year, including a government minister last week. More than 60,000 people have been killed in fighting between the government and insurgents since 1989.

Kashmiri Shia Muslims are participating in a procession on the 8th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in Srinagar. Two major Muharram processions along the traditional routes in Srinagar have not been allowed since the anti-India insurgency erupted in 1989. However, last year and this Muharram, the administration is allowing a smaller procession in the early morning hours only. It is during this procession that pro-Palestine, anti-Israel, and pro-Gaza slogans are being shouted. The biggest Muharram procession along a route in Srinagar continues to be banned despite entreaties by various Shia leaders. Support for Palestine, Hezbollah, and Iran is being openly expressed by the Shia community in Kashmir during their religious or political processions. (Footage by Adil Abass/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

TAPE: EF02/0786 IN_TIME: 02:21:39 DURATION: 1:10 SOURCES: APTN RESTRICTIONS: DATELINE: Muzaffarabad, 16 Sept 2002 SHOTLIST: TOKO Material 1. Various shots of pro-Pakistan demonstrators marching with banners 2. Protestors stamping on Indian flag 3. Various shots of demonstrators burning Indian flag STORYLINE: Demonstrators in Pakistan-held Kashmir marched on Monday to protest the start of election on the Indian side of the Line of Control. The demonstrators in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, want either an independent Kashmir or the union of the entire region with Pakistan. They claim the elections in Indian Kashmir are rigged against the Muslim majority there who, they claim, favour a separation from India. Separatists have called on residents of Indian Kashmir to boycott the vote, and some militants have warned that anyone turning up may be attacked. Indian-Kashmir has suffered seen increasingly bloody attacks in recent weeks, as separatist Islamic militants opposed to the vote have stepped up their campaign to scare politicians and voters away from the polls. India says Pakistan is trying to sabotage the elections in Jammu-Kashmir by sending Islamic rebels to stage terror attacks and frighten voters. Pakistan denies the accusation. Islamic militants on both sides of the Line of Control have waged a separatist movement for Kashmir's independence or merger with Pakistan since 1989. At least 60-thousand people have died in the insurgency.

NAME: KAS ATTACK 20060417I TAPE: EF06/0331 IN_TIME: 10:39:47:19 DURATION: 00:00:58:13 SOURCES: AP TELEVISION DATELINE: Srinagar - 17 April 2006 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST: 1. Two ambulances arriving at hospital 2. Various of injured soldier being stretchered out of ambulance 3. Badly injured former speaker Ali Mohammed Naik being stretchered into hospital 4. Various of another injured soldier being wheeled along corridor on trolley 5. Exterior of hospital STORYLINE: Suspected rebels in Indian-controlled Kashmir ambushed the motorcade of Ali Mohammad Naik, the former speaker of India''s Jammu-Kashmir state legislature on Monday. The attack injured Naik and two others and killed his bodyguard, police said. Guerrillas opened fire on Naik''s car in the town of Tral about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, police said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Kashmir is partly administered by India, which is mostly Hindu, and partly administered by Pakistan. About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for Muslim majority Kashmir''s independence - or its merger with mainly Muslim Pakistan. More than 67,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Kashmiri Shia Muslims are participating in a procession on the 8th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in Srinagar. Two major Muharram processions along the traditional routes in Srinagar have not been allowed since the anti-India insurgency erupted in 1989. However, last year and this Muharram, the administration is allowing a smaller procession in the early morning hours only. It is during this procession that pro-Palestine, anti-Israel, and pro-Gaza slogans are being shouted. The biggest Muharram procession along a route in Srinagar continues to be banned despite entreaties by various Shia leaders. Support for Palestine, Hezbollah, and Iran is being openly expressed by the Shia community in Kashmir during their religious or political processions. (Footage by Adil Abass/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Kashmiri Shia Muslims are participating in a procession on the 8th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in Srinagar. Two major Muharram processions along the traditional routes in Srinagar have not been allowed since the anti-India insurgency erupted in 1989. However, last year and this Muharram, the administration is allowing a smaller procession in the early morning hours only. It is during this procession that pro-Palestine, anti-Israel, and pro-Gaza slogans are being shouted. The biggest Muharram procession along a route in Srinagar continues to be banned despite entreaties by various Shia leaders. Support for Palestine, Hezbollah, and Iran is being openly expressed by the Shia community in Kashmir during their religious or political processions. (Footage by Adil Abass/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

NAME: KAS STRIKE 20070505I TAPE: EF07/0533 IN_TIME: 11:15:28:17 DURATION: 00:01:10:11 SOURCES: AP TELEVISION DATELINE: Srinagar, 5 May 2007 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST: 1. Mid shot of protesters throwing stones towards police 2. Wide shot of protesters throwing stones towards police 3. Police running for cover, protesters pelting stones towards police 4. Various shots of police 5. Wide shot of street 6. Wide shot of police firing tear gas and pelting stones towards protesters 7. Wide of police throwing stones towards protesters 8. Various shots of closed shops STORYLINE: Protesters clashed with police in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Saturday for a second day, as part of a strike called to protest the arrest of Kashmiri separatist leaders. In Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, security forces erected additional checkpoints anticipating protests. Protesters threw rocks at police, who responded by firing tear gas. Streets were deserted and public transport stayed off the roads, and shops, businesses and offices shut down in response to the strike. Five leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Kashmir's main separatist alliance, were arrested last month on charges of anti-India activities and organising unlawful gatherings. Saturday's strike was called by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads the hard-line faction of the Hurriyat. Besides the Hurriyat, which shuns violence, more than a dozen Islamic militant groups have fought against India's rule in Kashmir since 1989. Separatist politicians and armed militants reject Indian sovereignty in Kashmir, and want to carve out a separate homeland or merge the Himalayan region with mostly Muslim Pakistan. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in the conflict. Kashmir is divided between archrivals Pakistan and India, but is claimed by both. The neighbouring countries have fought two of their three wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from Britain in 1947.

Kashmiri Shia Muslims are participating in a procession on the 8th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in Srinagar. Two major Muharram processions along the traditional routes in Srinagar have not been allowed since the anti-India insurgency erupted in 1989. However, last year and this Muharram, the administration is allowing a smaller procession in the early morning hours only. It is during this procession that pro-Palestine, anti-Israel, and pro-Gaza slogans are being shouted. The biggest Muharram procession along a route in Srinagar continues to be banned despite entreaties by various Shia leaders. Support for Palestine, Hezbollah, and Iran is being openly expressed by the Shia community in Kashmir during their religious or political processions. (Footage by Adil Abass/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

TAPE: EF03/0932 IN_TIME: 07:22:52 DURATION: 1:46 SOURCES: STAR TV RESTRICTIONS: DATELINE: Srinigar, Kashmir, 17 Oct 2003 SHOTLIST: 1. Mid shot soldiers running across road 2. Soldiers with two men with there hands in the air 3. Men with raised hands walking towards camera 4. Indian soldier 5. Mid shot Indian soldier in armoured car firing 6. Various soldiers firing from armoured cars 7. Men running out of building with hands raised in the air 8. Mid shot men hiding behind tree 9. Mid shot man on top of armoured car firing gun in the air 10. Pan scene of shooting STORYLINE: Two explosions went off near the home of the top elected official in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Friday, police said. The blasts occurred within 100 metres (110 yards) of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's home in Srinigar, a police official said on condition of anonymity. Two paramilitary soldiers were injured, New Delhi Television news channel said. Star TV showed Indian soldiers firing on positions near the house and several unidentified men running in the area. The busy Maulana Azad road outside Sayeed's home was sealed and police have begun investigations, the official said. More than a dozen militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence or merger with neighbouring Pakistan since 1989. India blames Pakistan for arming and funding the 13-year-old anti-India insurgency in Kashmir, which has claimed 63,000 lives. Pakistan says it only provides moral support.

TAPE: 000000 IN_TIME: 00:00:00 DURATION: 1:01 SOURCES: APTN RESTRICTIONS: APTN Clients Only DATELINE: Various, 17 Sep 2001 SHOTLIST: 1. Wide interior shot of tent in security camp of special operations group that was attacked by militant suicide squad 2. Wide shot of body of militant killed in the attack 3. Wide shot of dead bodies of policemen killed in the attack 4. Wide shot of a policeman's dead body being put in coffin 5. Various shots of relatives of victim crying 6. Mid shot of Ashok Kumar Suri, Director General, Jammu and Kashmir Police showing the dead militant's gun, allegedly with Pakistan's identification mark 7. Mid shot of dead bodies 8. Police officers carrying coffin of dead policeman to van STORYLINE : Suspected Islamic militants stormed a police camp in troubled Kashmir, killing nine policemen and wounding 10 others, police in India said on Monday. Hurling grenades and firing from automatic weapons, the guerrillas on Sunday night entered the camp of the state police's special operations group, which is charged with fighting militancy in the region. One suspected guerrilla also was killed in an exchange of gunfire at the camp in Kupwara, a town 90 kilometres (55 miles) north of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, police said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. But police believed the attackers were from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba militant group, according to the news agency Press Trust of India. India accuses Pakistan of supporting insurgency in Kashmir by arming and training Islamic militants, who have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India since 1989. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only provides moral and diplomatic support. Human right groups say the fighting has killed more than 60-thousand people in Kashmir over the past 12 years. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from Britain in 1947. India controls two-thirds of Kashmir and Pakistan the remaining one-third. Both claim the northern Himalayan territory in its entirety.

Kashmiri Shia Muslims are participating in a procession on the 8th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in Srinagar. Two major Muharram processions along the traditional routes in Srinagar have not been allowed since the anti-India insurgency erupted in 1989. However, last year and this Muharram, the administration is allowing a smaller procession in the early morning hours only. It is during this procession that pro-Palestine, anti-Israel, and pro-Gaza slogans are being shouted. The biggest Muharram procession along a route in Srinagar continues to be banned despite entreaties by various Shia leaders. Support for Palestine, Hezbollah, and Iran is being openly expressed by the Shia community in Kashmir during their religious or political processions. (Footage by Adil Abass/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

TAPE: EF02/0783 IN_TIME: 22:51:15 DURATION: 2:17 SOURCES: APTN RESTRICTIONS: DATELINE: Various, 15 Sept 2002 SHOTLIST ALL MATERIAL TOKO Gurez, Kashmir 1. Various aerial shots of Gurez, in the Kupwara district on the border with Pakistan 2. Various street scenes of Gurez 3. Two election officials carrying an electronic voting machine into a polling booth 4. Various of armed security officials outside of polling station Srinagar City Airport, Kashmir 5. Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, walking towards a car 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir: "It is Pakistan fighting against our elections. You can expect anything from them. But we will still have the election through - whatever price we have to pay for it". (Shot ends on freeze) Srinagar, Kashmir 7. Various of security outside polling booth 8. Sign for school outside polling booth 9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Arbhat, shop vendor: "Because Kashmir is a disputed land, therefore we have given more sacrifice for Kashmir and atrocities created by India and indian forces - we remember everything. So therefore there is no chance for (fair) elections or for voting." 10. SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) Tasur Iqbal: "Why should we participate in the elections? These elections are a fraud, a fraud." 11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mohan Lal, anti militant operations deputy superintendent of police for Jammu and Kashmir: " (We have) different types of forces. Army, paramilitary forces and local police. They have been brought into action, they have been given clear cut instructions, they have have prepared themselves to counter any sort of insurgent activity." Pattan Town, Kashmir 12. Various of Pattan Town street 13. Wide shot street in Pattan Town STORYLINE: Indian security forces were on high alert in Kashmir on Sunday following the death of two policemen killed when suspected Islamic militants threw grenades at an Indian Kashmir minister's motorcade. The attack came on the eve of the first stage of voting in state elections. Tourism Minister Sakina Itoo's motorcade was targetted in the southern village of Boh as she travelled to an election rally for the ruling National Conference party. She escaped unhurt. Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, blamed the incident on Pakistan which he accused of trying to sabotage upcoming elections. Kashmir is also bracing itself for suicide attacks by separatist Islamic guerrillas who have demanded a boycott of legislative elections in India's only majority Muslim state. In Gurez, a town in the Kupwara district of Kashmir on the border with Pakistan, armed soldiers stood guard outside polling stations. The Indian government is hoping transparent elections will diminish support for the Islamic insurgents, who are fighting for Kashmir's independence or its merger with neighbouring Pakistan. At least 60,000 people have been killed since Muslim separatists began fighting security forces in 1989.

Kashmiri Shia Muslims are participating in a procession on the 8th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in Srinagar. Two major Muharram processions along the traditional routes in Srinagar have not been allowed since the anti-India insurgency erupted in 1989. However, last year and this Muharram, the administration is allowing a smaller procession in the early morning hours only. It is during this procession that pro-Palestine, anti-Israel, and pro-Gaza slogans are being shouted. The biggest Muharram procession along a route in Srinagar continues to be banned despite entreaties by various Shia leaders. Support for Palestine, Hezbollah, and Iran is being openly expressed by the Shia community in Kashmir during their religious or political processions. (Footage by Adil Abass/NurPhoto via Getty Images)