SRINAGAR: Two suspected militants and a civilian were killed in a gunbattle in India-held Kashmir that lasted more than 15 hours.

Police said on Monday the shooting began on Sunday when government forces cordoned off a village on a tip-off that armed militants were hiding there.

“Both the militants were local residents, one of them had recently joined LeT,” claimed inspector general of police Javid Gillani, referring to Lashkar-i-Taiba group.

He said a stray bullet killed the civilian in Redwani village, 65km south of Srinagar.

A police officer on the scene said hundreds of residents from nearby villages came out to protest as troops cordoned off the village, throwing rocks at and shouting “we want freedom”.

“They were trying to help the trapped militants escape,” said the police officer.

Police fired teargas to disperse the protesters, he added.

Army spokesman N.N. Joshi said two soldiers were being treated in hospital for gunshot wounds.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2015

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