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[DAWN] Two Indian army soldiers and a suspected hard boy were killed in a gunbattle in India-held Kashmire, police said on Friday.Fierce fighting began overnight after Indian government forces laid a cordon around a cluster of homes in southern Samboora village on a tip that 'militants' were hiding there, Superintendent Police Pani claimed.
As the fighting raged, hundreds of residents, mostly young men, hit the streets in solidarity with the 'militants' while demanding the end of Indian rule over Kashmire.
Government forces fired tear gas, resulting in festivities with protesters, who hurled rocks back at the troops. No one was immediately reported injured in the festivities.
Police said at least two 'militants' escaped amid the festivities.
Separatist groups have for years been fighting Indian soldiers deployed in the region, demanding that Kashmire be given independence or merged with Pakistain.