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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, May 27-- A civilian and eight militants, including a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant outfit, were killed Saturday during gunfights across Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The civilian was killed in Tral, where contingents of Indian police and army were battling holed up militants. According to police the gunfight broke out at village Saimoo-Tral in Pulwama district, about 40 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "Today two militants of HM including a top commander were killed in a joint operation at Tral," a police spokesman said. "During the cross firing one more person was injured. He was rushed to the Tral hospital where he succumbed to his wounds." The slain militants were identified as Sabzar Ahmad Bhat and Faizan Ahmad Bhat, both local cadres of HM, the region's indigenous militant outfit. Sabzar Ahmad Bhat was successor of prominent militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani, who was killed last year. Wani's killing triggered massive protests in the region for months together and a security lockdown, during which at least 90 people most of them teenagers were killed and over 14,000 injured (including those blinded and maimed) in police and paramilitary shooting during protests. Authorities also arrested around 8,000 civilians to contain the protests. As the gunfight was raging in Tral, scores of residents especially youth tried to storm the gunfight site shouting anti-India slogans marched in a bid to help the trapped militants break the cordon. However, they were chased by government forces. | 
