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SRINAGAR, India (AP) - A woman was killed and several others injured during anti-India protests and clashes in Indian-controlled Kashmir that erupted on Saturday after government forces launched an operation against rebels in the disputed region, police said.

Indian troops came under fire from militants as soldiers laid a cordon around southern Dyalgam village following a tip that rebels were hiding there, said senior police officer Muneer Ahmed Khan.

After a brief exchange of fire, militants took a refuge inside a home where civilians, including women, were also trapped. Khan said the woman was killed in the crossfire.

However, locals said that several men and women rushed to the house where the militants took shelter and asked soldiers to give them safe passage. The residents said troops were not letting some of the women leave.

"We're negotiating with the civilians," Khan said.

As the news of the siege spread, hundreds of people from Dyalgam and neighboring villages broke the security lockdown and marched near the site in solidarity with the rebels while demanding an end to Indian rule over the region.

Intense clashes erupted in and around the village as locals threw rocks at the troops who fired tear gas and shotgun pellets to quell the spiraling protests.

At least seven people were injured and one among them was said to be critical.

In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. The anti-India protests and clashes have persisted despite the Indian army chief warning recently that "tough action" would be taken against stone throwers during counterinsurgency operations.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir's independence or merger with neighboring Pakistan. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting and the ensuing Indian crackdown.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep among the region's mostly Muslim population and most people support the rebels' cause against Indian rule despite a decades-long military crackdown to fight the armed rebellion.

India has accused Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, which Pakistan denies.

Rebel groups have largely mua dem bong ep everon been suppressed by Indian forces in recent years and public opposition to Indian rule is now principally expressed through street protests.