SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Officials say three suspected rebels have been killed in a gunbattle with government forces in disputed Kashmir, triggering violent anti-India protests.
The Indian military says the fighting erupted on Sunday after troops cordoned off a village in southern Kulgam area.
As the fighting raged, anti-India protesters tried to reach the site of the standoff. They threw stones at government forces hoping to help the trapped rebels escape.
Government forces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas at the protesters, leaving at least 35 injured.
India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.
Most Kashmiris support rebel demands that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
