‘The fight is still on’: 16 killed as violence grips Indian Kashmir
Many civilians in Kashmir – India’s only Muslim-majority state – support rebels who have been fighting for decades for independence or for a merger with Pakistan
Sixteen people have been killed in Indian Kashmir in some of the fiercest fighting this year in the restive Himalayan region, police said on Sunday, as authorities braced for more violence.
A total of three Indian soldiers and 11 suspected militants died in several clashes south of Srinagar, the main city of the region divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.
Two civilians were also killed and dozens injured when police opened fire on thousands of demonstrators who poured onto the streets, throwing stones and chanting slogans against Indian rule.
It is a massive operation. The fight is still on
There were also demonstrations in Srinagar, where authorities ordered all schools shut on Monday as rebel groups called for protests.
Seven of the militants were killed along with two soldiers in a protracted shoot-out in the village of Dragad, where helicopters were seen swooping low over the battle zone.
Another man, described by Indian authorities as a militant, was gunned down in a brief exchange of fire in Dialgam.
Security forces were still taking fire from gunmen in the village of Kachdora, where one soldier and three insurgents had been killed, local police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said.
“It is a massive operation. The fight is still on,” inspector-general of police Swayam Prakash Pani said.