News In Brief

Indian troops begin pullout from Sikhs' Golden Temple

The Indian Army commander, Maj. Gen. K. S. Brar, said Thursday that troops were beginning to withdraw from this Sikh holy city, 44 days after troops stormed the Golden Temple to flush out armed militants. However, he said soldiers would remain in the temple to see that it did not again become an arms warehouse and headquarters for Sikh extremists.

More than 150 Nihang Sikhs, meanwhile, continued to defy the temple priests and cleared debris from the heavily damaged Akal Takht in the temple complex. The priests threatened to excommunicate the workers for striking a deal with the government to clean up the temple while the Army continued to occupy it.