Kashmir death update now 34,000

Kashmir death update now 34,000
REUTERS

Srinagar, Sept 6: Nearly 34,000 people have been killed in violence linked to the decade-old separatist insurgency in Kashmir, according to a police document seen on Wednesday.

The latest official update on the death toll from the insurgency launched in late 1989 put the number of people killed at 33,854, including militants, security personnel and civilians.

Separatist groups say the figure is more than 70,000. The breakdown of the death toll came to 19,781 civilians, 11,757 militants, and 2,316 security personnel. Of the civilians, 9,571 were killed in militant-triggered explosions and grenade attacks, 7,472 were gunned down by militants, and 2,738 were killed in crossfire or as the result of police "law and order operations," the document said.

The police document said the security forces had seized 21,055 AK-47 assault rifles over the past 10 years, as well as 8,494 pistols, 972 heavy machine guns and 655 rocket launchers.