Eight killed in Kashmir gunfight, protestors clash with security

Srigar, Feb 12: Two soldiers, four militants and two civilians were killed in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday, police said. The incident triggered clashes between civilians and security forces, leaving around two dozen people injured.

The fighting erupted after the security personnel surrounded Frisal village in the district following a tip that militants were hiding in a house, police said.

“When the militants were challenged, they fired at the forces, triggering the gunfight,” said a police officer.

The dead included two soldiers from Rashtriya Rifles who were injured in the gunfight and later succumbed to their injuries.

Three civilians and three soldiers were injured in the fighting.

While a civilian, identified as Ashaq Rishi, died earlier on Sunday, another injured civilian, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad, 22, succumbed in hospital taking the death toll in this gunfight to eight.

As news of the civilian deaths spread, angry villagers poured out of their homes and stoned the security forces, who fired in the air and used tear smoke in an attempt to disperse them. Reports said around two dozen people, including protestors as well as security personnel, were injured in these clashes.

The militants’ bodies were recovered from the site of the gun battle. Police said the operation had now ended.  (IANS)