Three suspected rebels were killed during a gunbattle with Indian troops Saturday in Kashmir, officials said. The police blamed insurgents for killing three other men in the disputed region, AP reported. A young man also died after he was hit by an armoured vehicle as hundreds of residents tried to help the rebels escape from the military cordon in the heart of Srinagar, a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. Troops asked the trapped militants to surrender but they insisted on sparking a gunbattle, police statement said. A paramilitary trooper was wounded amid the fire exchange. Hundreds of residents hit the streets to the gunbattle site and threw rocks at troops in order to back the militants. Since 2017 gun battles between government forces and militants seeking an end to Indian rule in Kashmir have become more frequent, in a region divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both, according to AFP. India has deployed more than 500,000 soldiers to tackle the rising militancy and increasing civilian support for the rebels.