UPDATE - Indian forces kill 5 militants in Kashmir

UPDATES WITH 5 CIVILIANS KILLED, 40 OTHERS INJURED, QUOTES OF CHIEF MINISTER, HURRIYAT LEADER

By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Indian armed forces on Sunday killed five civilians and five militants, including a top commander in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, according to police and a regional minister.

Police spokesman Manoj Pandita said an army soldier and a policeman were also injured in the clash.

The civilians were killed when Indian forces allegedly opened fire at a mass protest held in support of the slain militants. Thousands who came out in support of the militants shouted slogans calling for Kashmir’s independence from India and threw stones at heavily-armed Indian forces. According to some local media outlets, at least 40 civilians were also wounded with bullet and pellet injuries and brought to various hospitals in the region.

According to police, the gunbattle with militants began early Sunday morning in Badigam village of Shopian.

Among the slain militants, three were identified as Saddam Padder, an alleged top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen militant group; Touseef Sheikh, another top militant; and Mohammad Rafi Bhat, a former sociology professor at Kashmir University who reportedly recently joined the ranks of militants.

In a statement, the region’s Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed grief over the killings.

“It sounds very depressing to note that our state is losing young lives to the unending cycle of violence who could otherwise be utilized for a positive contribution to the state.

“Today’s deaths have brought a stark fact to fore that gun, either way of a militant or that of security forces, is no solution for resolving issues. I have reiterated it time and again that political issues need political interventions,” she said.

The pro-independence leadership of the region called for a complete shutdown on Monday.

“Words fail to express the pain of the tragedy unfolding in Shopian as the count of the brutally killed by Indian forces keeps rising!

“Tomorrow as the ‘Durbar’ [court] of our killers opens in Srinagar, leadership and people from all walks -- traders, lawyers, students, employees and others will move towards civil secretariat and will sit in a peaceful dharna [sit-in] till the daily carnage is not stopped.

“The protest strike will continue,” Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement.

On Saturday, three militants were also killed in a gunbattle while a civilian protester was allegedly mowed down by a police vehicle.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.

Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.