The Kargil War was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in Kashmir. The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control, which serves as the de facto border between the two nations. The Indian Army, supported by the air force, attacked the Pakistani positions and, with international diplomatic support, eventually forced a Pakistani withdrawal across the Line of Control. The war is one of the most recent examples of high altitude warfare, in mountainous terrain, and posed significant logistics problems for the combating sides. This was the first ground war between the two nuclear armed countries. (India and Pakistan both test-detonated fission devices in May 1998, though the first Indian nuclear test was conducted in 1974.) The conflict led to heightened tensions between the two nations and increased defense spending on the part of India. In Pakistan, the aftermath caused instability to the government and the economy, and on October 12 1999, a coup d'etat by the military placed army chief Pervez Musharraf in power.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1792: French Revolution: Insurrectionists in Paris stormed the Tuileries Palace (pictured), effectively ending the French monarchy until it was restored in 1814. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10th_of_August_%28French_Revolution%29)

1809: History of Ecuador: After nearly three centuries of Spanish rule, the first cry for independence was heard in Quito. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quito)

1846: Smithsonian Institution was chartered by the Congress of the United States. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithsonian_Institution)

1920: Representatives of Sultan Mehmed VI signed the Treaty of Sèvres, recognizing the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_S%C3%A8vres)

1990: The Magellan space probe reached Venus. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_probe)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die." -- Herbert Hoover (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover)