Despite a wave of violence on Tuesday and Wednesday that left more than 100 people dead, the Indian Government and the leading Kashmiri separatist group, Hizbul Mujahideen, have reported progress after their first formal ceasefire talks in over eleven years of conflict. As the talks got underway, the Indian army launched a major offensive against other militants in the hotly disputed region, who are believed to be responsible for the massacres in an attempt to derail the peace process. The peace talks were arranged after Hizbul Mujahideen offered a three-month ceasefire last week. Other Islamic insurgents groups, however, have condemned the offer and vowed to continue their operations. While some newspapers and officials in both India and Pakistan have reacted to the massacres by blaming each other, the consensus seems to be that any movement towards a peaceful resolution in Kashmir must be supported, if somewhat warily. In the meantime, the first issue to be addressed is the Hizbul Mujahideen's demand that India agree to expand negotiations into tripartite peace talks involving Pakistan by August 8. So far, Indian officials have steadfastly refused to include their rival.