Clashes, curfew in J&K after rebel leader killed
A civilian was killed after clashes broke out between protesters and government forces following the death of a top rebel commander in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said yesterday.
Authorities imposed a curfew in many parts of the main Srinagar city as violence spread across the restive region after Sabzar Ahmad Bhat's death yesterday.
Bhat, head of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, was killed in a gunfight with government forces in Tral area, some 40 kilometres south of Srinagar.
One of Bhat's fighters was also killed in the gun battle, which erupted late Friday after government forces cordoned off a village following an intelligence tip-off.
Police said hundreds of villagers tried to break the cordon by throwing rocks at security forces.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the protester was killed after troops opened fire on the villagers. At least three other protesters sustained bullet injuries in the clashes. The nearly 16-hour gunfight ended early yesterday when Bhat and his associate were killed.
Hizbul Mujahideen is the largest indigenous rebel group fighting against Indian-rule in the Himalayan territory since an armed rebellion broke-out in 1989.
Bhat succeeded charismatic militant leader Burhan Wani after he was killed in a gunfight in July, which triggered months of anti-India protests in which nearly 100 people died.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the predominantly Muslim Kashmir valley where most people favour independence or a merger with Pakistan.
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