India-Pakistan: July 25, 2002

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In Kashmir, a rebel tossed a grenade into a bus station, killing one civilian and wounding 18 others. Four similar attacks were made in the last two days. Some 15,000 troops are deployed to protect 100,000 Hindus moving through Kashmir on a religious pilgrimage. 

India is angry because of the increased number of fighters crossing over from Pakistan into Kashmir, and the fact that more of them are foreigners who had previously fought in Afghanistan. In June, some 70 percent of the rebels killed in Kashmir were foreigners. Last year, only 30 percent of the 2,020 rebels killed were foreigners. There were 232 rebel attacks in Kashmir in June, leaving 224 civilians and soldiers dead. So far this month, there have been 122 attacks.  In the first six months of the year, India says 695 armed men have crossed over into Kashmir.