TEHRAN, October 17 - Anti-India protests and clashes erupted in the main city of disputed Kashmir on Wednesday after a gunbattle between militants and government forces killed at least two suspected rebels, a civilian and a counterinsurgency police official, residents and police said.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The gunbattle began early Wednesday after troops cordoned off a neighborhood in Srinagar on a tip that some rebels were present in a civilian home, police said. The exchange of gunfire lasted for about half an hour, police said, leaving two militants, a son of the house owner and a police official dead.
Asif Nabi, another son of the house owner, said the gunbattle began shortly after Indian troops knocked on their door and took away his brother from the house. Police said the brother was a civilian interface of the militants and provided logistic support to them, according to Nabi.
The house owner suffered cardiac arrest during the raid and was hospitalized, residents and police said.
At least three soldiers were also injured in the fighting. No further information was immediately available.
Residents said they also heard loud explosions during the fighting and accused the troops of blasting at least two houses with explosives during the fighting.
As news of the fighting spread, anti-India protests and clashes erupted in several places in downtown Srinagar. Chanting slogans demanding an end to Indian rule over Kashmir, demonstrators tried to reach the site of the standoff and threw stones at police and paramilitary soldiers.
Government forces fired tear gas and shotgun pellets to stop the protesters. There were no reports of injuries.
Authorities limited communications, including internet on cellphones, as is routine during such fighting to make organizing anti-India protests difficult. They also ordered schools shut in anticipation of student protests.
Source: AP
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