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More US congressmen support India on Kargil

Two United States congressmen have supported India's military action in the Kargil sector, saying ''India is within its right to vacate armed intruders from its territory.''

In a statement, Congressmen Rod R Blagojevich and Bobby L Rush (both Democrats) said, ''We appreciate the restraint shown by the Indian security forces in not crossing the Line of Control into Pakistan.''

''We call upon the parties to end the armed intrusions and to cease all hostile and destabilising activities in Jammu and Kashmir which violate the Lahore Declaration,'' they said.

They supported the forthright statement of Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Karl Inderfurth that ''clearly, the Indians are not going to cede this territory that these militants have taken. They have to depart, and they will depart, either voluntarily or because the Indians take them out.''

They said they were greatly disappointed that, contrary to the letter and spirit of the Lahore Declaration, a considerable number of well-trained and heavily armed Afghan and Mujahideen terrorists with links to Osama Bin Laden and Harakat-ul-Mujahideen infiltrated from Pakistan into the Indian side of the Line of Control.

They said India was forced to take armed action to defend its territory against the foreign mercenaries who have sought to disturb the LoC.

UNI

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