KASHMIR, India - August 12, 2008 -
Indian security forces killed at least 13 Muslim protesters in Kashmir Tuesday
as they struggled to contain a new wave of anger against New Delhi's hold over
the disputed region, officials said.
Casualties mounted the day after a leading separatist politician and five other protesters were gunned down by troops in the scenic valley, amid some of the worst violence of an 19-year-old insurgency.
Police and soldiers enforced a daylight curfew across the Himalayan region in a bid to prevent rioting and resorted to using gunfire and baton charges in the face of widespread defiance including stone throwing, witnesses said.
"We want freedom and we will continue our struggle until we are free," senior Muslim cleric and separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told AFP.
Police, medical doctors and witnesses said 13 Muslim protesters, including a 55-year-old woman, were gunned down and hundreds of others wounded across Jammu and Kashmir state, including in the summer capital Srinagar.