SRINAGAR, India: A young man was killed and at least 14 others wounded Monday when government forces fired at anti-India protesters who were trying to help rebels escape during a gunbattle in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said. Two rebels were killed.
Indian troops cordoned off southern Drubgam village early Monday following a tip that rebels were hiding there, police said.
As the troops came closer to a cluster of homes, rebels fired at them, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire which lasted for several hours, police said. Two local Kashmiri militants were killed and at least two soldiers, including an army officer, were injured in the fighting, police said.
The two slain rebels included a top commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Kashmir’s largest militant group, police said.
Earlier, as fighting between the troops and rebels raged, anti-India residents chanted pro-rebel slogans and tried to march to the site to help the trapped militants escape, leading to clashes between rock-throwing villagers and government forces who fired live ammunition, shotgun pellets and tear gas.
At least 15 residents were reported injured in the clashes, including a young man who was hit by bullets and died in a hospital.
An army helicopter hovered over the area to coordinate the operation with ground troops, officials said.
Kashmiri separatist leaders who challenge India’s sovereignty over the region politically condemned the killings and called for a protest strike on Tuesday.
In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations. Last year at least 29 civilians were killed and hundreds wounded during such clashes.
A new generation of Kashmiri rebels, especially in the southern parts of the disputed region, has revived the militancy and challenged New Delhi’s rule with guns and effective use of social media.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.
Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Indian-controlled Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.
Most Kashmiris support the rebels’ cause while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.
Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
Two rebels, civilian killed during Kashmir fighting
Two rebels, civilian killed during Kashmir fighting
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.
The U-Haul truck, with its side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.
The police department confirmed its officers were on the scene but didn’t immediately say if anyone was arrested.
Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Several hundred people had gathered Sunday afternoon in the Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. The LA police department eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5 p.m. only about a hundred protesters were still at the scene, ABC7 reported.
Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again Sunday.
