Key Kashmir separatist leader killed by India forces

• Paramilitary troops and police exchanged fire with separatists after cordoning off part of the area.

OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: Two Kashmir separatists including a key Kashmiri leader were killed by Indian government forces during a 12-hour gun battle in the restive region's capital on Tuesday, authorities said.

Such clashes are a common occurrence in the disputed territory but rare in occupied Srinagar, and the siege marked the first shootout in the city's centre for two years.

Explosions and gunshots echoed through the densely populated neighbourhood, with streets largely empty as a result of a coronavirus lockdown that has kept most residents to their homes.

Paramilitary troops and police exchanged fire with separatists after cordoning off part of the area.

Five homes were reduced to rubble during the battle and 10 others were severely damaged, residents told AFP.

Junaid Ahmed Sehrai, a commander of the largest Kashmiri separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen and the son of a top separatist leader, was killed in the clash, police said in a statement.

Another Hizbul Mujahideen member was also killed and four Indian police officers were wounded, the statement said.

Most mobile voice and internet services were cut across the city as the fighting kicked off and have yet to be restored.

Locals poured onto the streets as news of the killings spread to hurl stones at Indian forces, who fired tear gas and shotgun pellets to disperse them. No injuries were reported.

The deaths came two weeks after Hizbul Mujahideen chief Riyaz Naikoo and a close aide were killed by government forces in the southern Kashmir valley during a two-day gun battle.