IN FULL RETREAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26616, 12 November 1947, Page 5

IN FULL RETREAT

KASHMIR INVADERS ROUTED TRAIL OF MURDER AND LOOTING Rec. 8 p.m. LONDON, Nov. 10. More than 1300 North-west Frontier tribesmen, remnants of the 5000 who invaded Kashmir, are to-day fleeing after being routed by Indian Government troops. The tribesmen are racing in cars, horse-drawn carts, bicycles, and on foot for a bridge at Kohala, 100 miles away, which links Kashmir with Pakistan, says Reuter’s correspondent at Baramula. With the defeat of this main force, the invasion is not expected now to be more than organised banditry. More than a dozen villages lie battered and smouldering, and vultures tear at corpses in Kashmir’s “ happy valley,” which ends at Baramula, now an empty, tumble-down town after the raiders’ 13-day orgy of murder, looting and destruction. Baramula has been in the hands of Indian troops for more than 24 hours, but fewer than 1000 of the town’s normal 13,000 population have returned. Brigadier L. P. Sen, commanding the pursuers, told the correspondent that small groups of raiders were still left around the countryside. A message from New Delhi says that -an Indian communique 1 announcing an advance along the Uri road said the troops met sporadic resistance apd sniping, but continued mopping-up operations, driving back the raiders, although the, raiders, by destroying bridges, retarded the advance. It is claimed that Indian casualties since operations began do not exceed 30 killed. Military quarters estimate the raiders suffered several hundreds killed. The Kashmir Administration says that thousands of raiders were killed. The Indian Army lists none of its troops as prisoners, as any believed captured are believed to have been killed. All major operations must end within about a fortnight, when snow will close the higher passes. An Indian State. Ministry spokesman said: “ The situation in Junagadh is absolutely quiet, our occupation being completed according to schedule.” . * An Indian Army spokesman said the raiders escaping from Baramula were making sure oi taking loot with them. They were using about 300 lorries, and it was reported that their loot included many kidnapped women and girls without distinction of race or religion. It is officially reported that nonMoslem troops escorting a column of 1000 Moslem refugees, which was attacked while on the way to Pakistan from Jammu, in Kashmir, killed 179 of an attacking force, wounded many and captured 500.