Indian forces kill senior Kashmiri militant

By staff and wire reports

SRINAGAR, India (CNN) -- One of the top officials in a Kashmiri militant group has been killed, Indian police said Wednesday.

Abdul Hamid Tantray, also known as 'Commander Masod' died in what police called an "encounter" with police in the village of Paloo in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Police said Tantray was carrying a pistol, ammunition and documents when he was killed.

Tantray is the deputy chief commander and chief spokesman of the Hizbul Mujahadeen, one of the Kashmir's largest militant groups.

He played an active role in peace talks Islamic militants held with India last summer after the group declared a ceasefire.

The peace process broke down because India refused to include Pakistan in a three-way dialogue process.

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There was no immediate confirmation of Tantray's death from Hizbul Mujahideen, whose fighters account for about half of the 5,000-6,000 Muslim militants active in the insurgency-plagued Kashmir Valley.

About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian rule in the Muslim-majority Himalayan state since a rebellion erupted more than 11 years ago.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in the revolt.

Tantray's death comes a day after India vowed to continue to crush insurgency-related violence in Kashmir.

Violence across the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has surged since India called off a six-month-long unilateral ceasefire against the rebels and launched an offensive against them in May.

A summit earlier this month between the leaders of India and Pakistan to resolve their dispute over Kashmir failed to produce any concrete results.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told parliament Tuesday that he will pursue efforts to ease tensions with Pakistan following the inconclusive summit.

"Though we could not conclude a joint document in Agra, we did achieve a degree of understanding," he said.

"We will build on this to further increase the areas of agreement. Obviously, India's concerns in vital areas such as cross-border terrorism will have to find place in any document that future negotiations endeavor to conclude," Vajpayee said.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir is controlled by India and includes the part of Kashmir on the Indian side of the line. India and Pakistan have rival claims to Kashmir, which has been a flashpoint for violence for years.

Reuters contributed to this report.