How many people have been killed since Islamists began to fight for independence

Officials in Indian Kashmir say suspected Muslim militants are holding two women as hostages in an Islamic center. The officials say one soldier was killed in a gunfight after security forces surrendered the building in the town of Punch. Few other details were released. More than 60,000 people have been killed in Kashmir since Islamists began fighting for the area’s independence or joining with Pakistan.

US Defense department says although the coalition victory over Iraq was impressive militarily, it was by no means certain. In a report on lesson learned during the Gulf War, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said the events could have been very different if Saudi Arabia had not welcome the coalition force or if Iraq had invaded Saudi Arabia before the force was in place. The report also praises high-tech weapons used by the coalition in the war.