SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Police say government forces have killed at least two rebels during a gunbattle that sparked violent anti-India protests by residents in disputed Kashmir.
Police say Indian troops laid a siege to a village in northwestern Handwara area early Thursday on a tip that militants were hiding there.
Authorities ordered the closure of schools in several places in the region fearing student protests because one of the fatalities was reportedly a rebel leader.
The fighting sparked protests and clashes as hundreds of residents tried to march to the site in solidarity with the militants.
Government forces fired warning shots, shotgun pellets and tear gas at the stone-throwing protesters, injuring at least four people.
India and Pakistan each claim all of the divided territory of Kashmir.
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