Eight of the militants were killed by Indian soldiers in two separate clashes in the forests of Kupwara district near the heavily militarized ceasefire Line of Control that divides the state.

Another rebel was shot dead by troops in southern Anantnag district, police and Border Security Force officials said.

Kupwara's forest-clad hills are frequently

The latest violence came a day after a second successful bus run between the Indian and Pakistani zones of the disputed region, despite threats by hardline groups to attack it.

"Four of the militants were killed in the Rampur area of ... the Uri sector," as they entered Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani zone, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel V.K. Batra said.

ATTOCK, 19 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - A delegation of the Afghan Return Commission Working Group (RCWG) has been visiting Afghan refugees of Turkmen origin in the Pakistani city of Attock in Punjab province, some 80 km northeast of the capital, Islamabad, to hear their concerns about repatriation.

The RCWG, a government body, was formed three years ago to help remove obstacles in the way of repatriation of the millions of Afghans living in neighbouring countries. This is the first

"The two leaders had substantive talks on all issues. They determined that the peace process was now irreversible," said the statement, issued at the end of a three-day visit to India by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

er/ejl/bpz/jah AFP 180611 GMT 04 05

Copyright (c) 2005 Agence France-Presse

India and Pakistan have pledged to increase cross-border links in the divided territory of Kashmir, saying their peace process is now irreversible.

The leaders of India and Pakistan on Monday outlined a range of measures to open up the heavily militarized Line of Control dividing the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

The measures listed in a joint statement include further travel, trade and cultural links, and more opportunities for contact between divided families by the de facto border.

Coming shortly after the start of the

"[The Secretary-General] welcomes the joint statement issued by the leaders of the two countries this weekend which outlined additional confidence building measures aimed at achieving durable peace in the region" Mr. Annan's spokesman said in a statement. "In particular, he is encouraged by their declaration that the dialogue

NEW DELHI, April 15 (AFP) - India will offer fresh initiatives during talks on Kashmir this weekend with President Pervez Musharraf, officials said, as the Pakistani leader called on both sides to find an "out-of-the-box" solution to their decades-old dispute.

The Indian proposals would include facilitating the reunion of families separated by the de facto border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan and more bus services between the two zones, India's National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan said.

"(Indian Prime Minister Manmohan

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in over 181 countries.

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CHF 50,000 HAS BEEN ALLOCATED FROM THE FEDERATION'S DISASTER RELIEF EMERGENCY FUND (DREF) TO RESPOND TO THIS OPERATION.

UNEARMARKED FUNDS TO REPAY DREF ARE ENCOURAGED.

The situation

WFP sources said 20 trucks could not proceed further owing to road blockades. Landslides had blocked the roads leading to Astore, Darel, Ghizer, upper areas of Hunza and Nagar during the recent rains.