3 protesters shot dead in Kashmir

Troops shot dead three stone-throwing protesters including a 16-year-old girl in Indian-administered Kashmir yesterday, as tensions rose ahead of the anniversary of the death of a rebel commander.

Witnesses said soldiers opened fire in the southern Kashmiri district of Kulgam after hundreds of people angry at an army search operation for suspected militants gathered to protest, some hurling objects.

The killings come on the eve of the second anniversary of the death of Burhan Wani, a charismatic 22-year-old rebel killed by government forces two years ago on July 8.