Three killed as clashes rock Kashmir

Relatives mourn the loss of a Kashmiri civilian in Srinagar on Tuesday. (AP)

SRINAGAR: Two civilians and one rebel were killed and at least 14 people injured Tuesday in clashes between protesters and troops and police in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said.
The clashes started when soldiers cordoned off a house in a village in central Kashmir in which at least one armed militant — who was killed later in the day — was hiding, said Javid Gillani, inspector general of police.
Hundreds of villagers, in a show of support for the rebels, threw stones at soldiers who had cordoned off the house.
Two people were killed in the ensuing clashes in which government forces fired tear gas and ammunition to disperse the protesting crowds.
“Doctors said one man died of bullet injuries and another died after he was hit by a tear gas shell,” said Gillani.
“Six civilian protesters and eight police and paramilitary personnel were also injured,” Gillani said.
One militant was killed in the operation and one weapon was recovered from the scene, said army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia.
Armed encounters between rebels fighting to end Indian rule over Kashmir and government forces have become more frequent since widescale unrest last year, sparked by the killing in July of a popular rebel leader.
That unrest left more than 90 civilians dead and thousands injured.
On Sunday, two militants were killed when police ambushed their car in the southern Kashmir valley.
With elections next month for two seats to the national parliament, security has been stepped up and the government has sent in 20,000 troops.