At least seven civilians were killed and over 40 injured in Kashmir on Saturday after government soldiers shot at crowds of anti-India protesters.

Indian troops surrounded a village in Kashmir's southern Pulwama region after being told that militants were hiding there, said Muneer Ahmed Khan, a local police officer,

The militants emerged and exchanged gunfire with soldiers and counterinsurgency police.

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Three rebels and a soldier were also killed in the clashes and a further soldier was wounded.

The gun battle prompted angry protests in Indian administered Kashmir, where hundreds of people marched, chanting pro-militant slogans and calling for an end to Indian rule.

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Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan but both countries claim the territory in its entirety.

India maintains that Pakistan funds militants and separatists in the region.

Protesters threw stones at Indian troops to help the militants escape. Government troops responded by shooting bullets, shotgun pellets and tear gas at the crowd.

Nine civilians remain critically injured.

Police officers said in a statement released later on Saturday that they regretted the killings and that the protesters had come "dangerously close" to the gun battle site.

Residents accused soldiers of directly spraying gunfire into the crowds.

"They fired at us as if they were practicing their guns,' said Shabir Ahmed, a local resident.

Residents also claimed that at least two civilians, including a teenage boy, were killed further away.

Indian soldiers in an armoured vehicle fired at a group of civilians on a roadside. As the vehicle jammed, one civilian was killed, local resident Ubaid Ahmed said.

Saturday's deaths triggered further anti-India protests in the region.

In recent years, younger Kashmiris have openly supported rebels advocating to break away from India.

Tension has remained at a near-constant high in the region since July 2016, according to a briefing paper produced earlier this year by the UK parliament.

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On 8 July 2016, Burhan Wani, a 22-year-old militant leader, was killed by Indian security forces, prompting "the biggest outbreak of protest and violence" in the region since 2010, according to the report.

A "war of words" broke out between India and Pakistan following the protests and tensions remained high throughout the next year.

The International Crisis Group described 2017 as "the deadliest year since 2010 in Indian-administered Kashmir."

Separatists in the region have called for three days of mourning and a general shutdown across the region following the latest unrest.</s>Indian security forces shot dead seven civilians and wounded dozens of others on Saturday during a protest over the killing of three militants in a gun battle in restive Kashmir, the authorities said.

A defense spokesman, Col. Rajesh Kalia, said the police operation had been spurred in response to intelligence reports about the presence of militants in a village in Pulwama district, south of the state’s summer capital, Srinagar.

“During the operation, militants fired upon troops, leading to a gun battle in which three militants were killed,” he said.

A senior police officer told Reuters that large numbers of civilians then gathered at the site, leading to clashes between with security forces, in which seven people were killed and about 50 others injured.

A witness, Mohammad Ayuob, said Indian troops had fired at the civilians when they tried to retrieve the body of a militant.

Jammu and Kashmir is mainly Hindu India’s only Muslim-majority state. India and Pakistan both rule the region in part but claim it in full. India has accused Pakistan of fomenting trouble in its part of Kashmir, a charge that the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, denies.

The Himalayan state has been particularly tense over the past few months as the Hindu nationalist party of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has pulled out of local government, leaving a power void.

Widespread protests have broken out in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir over the killings. Security has been tightened and troops have rushed to potential hot spots. A curfew was imposed in Pulwama town and surrounding areas, according to news media reports.

The separatist group Hurriyat Conference called for a three-day strike and protests across Kashmir.

“Bullets and pellets rain,” its chairman, Mirwaiz Omar, posted on Twitter, adding that supporters would march toward an army cantonment on Monday so that the Indian government could “kill all of us at one time rather than killing us daily.”

The authorities have suspended train services in the Kashmir Valley and shut down mobile internet services to try to prevent the unrest from spreading.

Indian security forces say they have killed 242 militants this year. In addition, 101 civilians and 82 security officials have also died, according to officials. The death toll is the highest in more than a decade.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

4 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

Seven civilians died and dozens were injured when Indian security forces opened fire at people protesting the killing of three militants in a gun battle in restive Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

SRINAGAR, India: Seven civilians died and dozens were injured when Indian security forces opened fire at people protesting the killing of three militants in a gun battle in restive Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said an operation was launched in the morning in response to intelligence reports about the presence of militants in a village in Pulwama district, south of the state's summer capital Srinagar.

"During the operation militants fired upon troops, leading to a gun battle in which three militants were killed," he said.

A senior police officer, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said large numbers of local people then gathered at the site, leading to clashes between them and security forces in which seven people were killed and about 50 injured.

An eyewitness, Mohammad Ayuob, told Reuters Indian troops fired at the locals when they tried to retrieve the body of a militant.

Jammu and Kashmir is mainly Hindu India's only Muslim-majority state. India and Pakistan both rule the region in part but claim in full. India accuses Pakistan of fomenting trouble in its part of Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies.

The Himalayan state has been particularly tense over the past few months as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party pulled out of local government, leaving a power void.

Widespread protests have broken out in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir over the killings. Security has been tightened and troops rushed to potential hotspots. A curfew was imposed in Pulwama town and surrounding areas, according to media reports.

The separatist group Hurriyat Conference called for a three-day strike and protests across Kashmir.

"Bullets and pellets rain!" its Chairman Mirwaiz Omar tweeted, adding that their supporters would march towards an army cantonment on Monday so that the Indian government can "kill all of us at one time rather than killing us daily".

Authorities have suspended train services in the Kashmir Valley and shut down mobile internet services to try and prevent the unrest from spreading.

Indian security forces say they have killed 242 militants this year. In addition, 101 civilians and 82 security officials have also died, according to officials. The total death toll in violence is the highest in more than a decade.</s>Indian troops surrounded a village in the southern Pulwama area on a tip that militants were hiding there, police said. As the soldiers began a search operation, militants jumped out of a civilian home and took position in a vast apple orchard while firing at soldiers and counterinsurgency police, said Muneer Ahmed Khan, a top police officer. Three rebels and a soldier were killed in the exchange of gunfire while one soldier was also wounded, he said.</s>Indian Army Saturday confirmed killing three terrorists belonging to militant group Hijbul Mujahideen in Pulwama district of Jammu & Kashmir, including Zahoor Thokar. A soldier of Indian Army’s 55RR has also been martyred in the encounter. Zahoor Thokar, who was also known as Major Thokar, had run away from a territorial unit of Indian Army on 6 July last year along with his weapon, and he was reportedly involved in the brutal killing of another army soldier Aurangzeb in June this year.

Soldiers from Indian Army’s 55 Rashtriya Rifles unit along with Jawans from 182nd and 183rd battalion of CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police have launched a cordon and search operation in Kharpora Sirnoo village in Pulwama district in South Kashmir, some 40 kilometers away from summer capital Srinagar following a tip off that led to this encounter.

Security forces also faced protests during the operations as hundreds of protesters had gathered at the encounter site, pelting stones on security forces engaged in the operation. Internet Services have also been snapped in the region. The bodies of terrorists have been recovered along with the arms and ammunition.
Indian soldiers and counterinsurgency police exchange gunfire with militants in the southern district of Pulwama, resulting in the deaths of one soldier and three militants. The soldiers then opened fire on a crowd of anti-government protesters who gathered after the battle, killing seven civilians and injuring 40 others.