Small Wars Journal

The Kashmir Attack Could Prompt a Crisis in South Asia. Here’s Why.

Sat, 02/16/2019 - 1:32pm

The Kashmir Attack Could Prompt a Crisis in South Asia. Here’s Why. By Asfandyar Mir – Washington Post

On Thursday, a suicide car bomber launched a major terrorist attack in Indian Kashmir. In the town of Pampore, a vehicle armed with a bomb rammed into a bus full of Indian paramilitary soldiers, killing 44 and injuring several others.

 

Although insurgent violence against military targets in Kashmir is not without precedent, here is what’s different: This attack is the deadliest single incident in decades involving Indian security forces.

 

The attack has India rattled — and pointing fingers at Pakistan. This is troubling, because India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars over Kashmir besides engaging in intermittent skirmishes along the border. Will the Pampore incident spark a new and dangerous phase in the enduring rivalry between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan? Here’s what you need to know…

Read on.