Atop an armored truck, a flak-jacketed member of India's Border Security Force stands watch over Srinagar's busiest intersection. Since separatist fury exploded in 1989, New Delhi has committed as many as 400,000 army and paramilitary troops to the region. 'In the valley,' says Kashmiri journalist Surinder Oberoi, 'violence poisons everyday life.' Death toll estimates for the decade range from 24,000 to 80,000.

—From "Kashmir: Trapped in Conflict," September 1999, National Geographic magazine