Top rebel, 2 troops killed

SRINAGAR: Two Indian army soldiers and a wanted commander of a major Islamic group were killed in two overnight clashes in Kashmir, police said on Sunday. A gun battle near Shopian left the two Indian soldiers dead, police said. Further south in Poonch district, troops shot dead a commander of Hizbul Mujahedin, Khalid Chitrali. — AFP

Kabul weighing amnesty

KABUL: Afghan drug smugglers seeking to protect profits made in the world’s largest narcotics industry could be granted freedom from prosecution if they invest it in the country’s reconstruction, senior Afghan officials said on Sunday. — AP