Eight freedom fighters martyred and two Indian soldiers were killed in gunbattles in occupied Kashmir that sparked violent anti-India protests by residents seeking an end to Indian rule in the region, officials said Friday. Indian troops laid siege to a village in northwestern Sopore area on Friday, leading to an exchange of gunfire in which two freedom fighters were martyred and a soldier killed, police said.
Government forces engaged freedom fighters at two places in the contested region on Thursday after troops launched counterinsurgency operations resulting in the martyrdom of six freedom fighters, the Indian military said. One soldier was wounded in the fighting. The gunbattles triggered large anti-India protests and clashes as thousands of people marched near the sites of the fighting in solidarity with freedom fighters for a second day Friday amid funerals of the rebels attended by tens of thousands of people.
Government forces fired warning shots, shotgun pellets and tear gas at the stone-throwing protesters, injuring at least a dozen people.
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