At least seven civilians were killed and over three dozen injured Saturday when government forces fired at anti-India protesters in disputed Kashmir following a gunbattle that left three rebels and a soldier dead, police and residents said.
SRINAGAR, India — At least seven civilians were killed and over three dozen injured Saturday when government forces fired at anti-India protesters in disputed Kashmir following a gunbattle that left three rebels and a soldier dead, police and residents said.
Indian troops surrounded a village in the southern Pulwama area on a tip that militants were hiding there, said Muneer Ahmed Khan, a top police officer. As the soldiers began a search operation, militants jumped out of a civilian home and took positions in an apple orchard while firing at soldiers and counterinsurgency police, Khan said.
Three rebels and a soldier were killed in the exchange of gunfire, and one soldier was wounded, he said.
The gunbattle sparked protests, with hundreds of people chanting pro-militant slogans and calling for an end to Indian rule over the Himalayan region. The protesters threw stones at troops to help the militants escape while government forces fired bullets, shotgun pellets and tear gas to stop them, killing seven and injuring at least 40 others, nine of them critically, police said.
