NEW DELHI, India, (Islamweb & News Agencies)-New figures released by the military in Indian-administered Kashmir show that the rate of casualties among the security forces has been on the increase for the past three years.According to government figures, the highest number of Indian security personnel killed in any year from 1990 to 1998 was 268.
But these figures have shot up drastically in the past three years.A government statement says that 360 officers and men from the army, paramilitary and police have been killed and about 900 others wounded from January until 15 August this year.
They include 46 temporary policemen and five members of the village defence committees.
Four hundred and eighty-five Indian soldiers were killed in the state last year while 407 died the previous year.
Morale concern
The actual figure is suspected to be much higher because the Indian authorities are known to play down the number of casualties among the security forces so that their morale is not undermined.
The figures show that the Indian security forces have suffered higher casualties because of grenade and landmine explosions carried out by the Resistance who frequently have used remote-controlled devices.
They also show that the security forces have suffered higher fatalities because of Resistance bombings.
The government statement says the Resistance have killed about 600 civilians up to the middle of August.
It says another 100 civilians have been killed in cross-fire between the militants and the Indian security forces.
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India blames Pakistan for backing the Resistance in the Himalayan region. Pakistan denies the accusation and says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to the them. The two nuclear-capable neighbors have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since they won independence from Britain in 1947. Authorities say more than 30,000 people have been killed in the region since the uprising against Indian rule broke out in late 1989. The Resistance puts the toll closer to 80,000.