Three rebels and five civilians killed in India-administered Kashmir
At least 35 people were wounded after government forces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas at anti-India demonstrators who were staging protests against the security personnel.
A masked Kashmiri protester runs next to burning tyres during a protest near the site of a gun battle between Indian security forces and suspected militants in Srinagar on October 17, 2018.
Three suspected rebels were killed in a gunbattle with Indian government forces in India-administered Kashmir on Sunday, and at least five civilians were killed in an explosion at the site after the fighting was over, officials and residents said.
The fighting erupted after troops cordoned off a village in the southern Kulgam area on a tip that rebels were hiding there, India's military said. The exchange lasted for several hours in which three militants were killed and two soldiers injured, it said.
Residents said soldiers blasted a civilian home with explosives while fighting the rebels, a common charge by Kashmiris who deeply resent the Indian army's presence.
A request to the PMO, Home Ministry & Army Chief. Go for the carpet-bombing of Kashmir, as you'd envisaged for downtown in 90'. That will save us from the torment of seeing our own dead, and you will get rid of all the anti-occupation and pro-resistance people, once & for all. pic.twitter.com/SWphyCiGt8
— Mehboob Makhdoomi (@makhdoomimehboo) October 21, 2018
As the fighting raged, anti-India protesters tried to reach the site of the standoff, and threw stones at government forces hoping to help the trapped rebels escape.
Government forces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas at the protesters, leaving at least 35 injured.
Completely heart wrenching scenes emerging from #Kulgam #Kashmir today. 8 martyred and 43 injured so far. Words fail me. This is State terrorism at its peak!#ENDTheOccupation
— Bea (@HerNameIs_Bea) October 21, 2018
Lens Muneeb Ul Islam pic.twitter.com/zYURiMwEuv
As counterinsurgency police and soldiers hastily left the place after the fighting was over, hundreds of civilians converged on the site.
An explosion occurred as people tried to extinguish a fire at the blasted house, residents said, killing at least one civilian and wounding seven others who were hospitalised in critical condition.
Four other civilians died at a hospital.
To strongly condemn &protest the mayhem unleashed in Kulgam by the ruthless Indian state in which so far 5 civilians & 3 armed youth killed besides injuries to tens of scores of injured,JRL calls for complete #Shutdown tomorrow,JRL will hold a #ProtestSitin on Tuesday at LaLchowk
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) October 21, 2018
SP Pani, a top police officer, said the civilians assembled at the site despite repeated requests to stay away as soldiers were still clearing the area. "Someone from the crowd fiddled with an unexploded explosive substance, resulting in the tragic incident," he said.
Disputed territory
India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.
Most Kashmiris support rebel demands that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.
In recent years, mainly young Kashmiris have displayed open solidarity with the rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations.
Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.
Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
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