 Seven people died in a two-day battle between militants and security forces at a federal tax office in held Kashmir that ended on Saturday, police officials said. "The operation is over," senior police official Javed Maqdoomi told reporters in Srinagar.
In all, two militants, four security force personnel and a tax official had died in the fighting, he said. The attack began when two grenade-hurling rebels stormed the high-security federal income tax compound late Friday afternoon. A dozen security force personnel and income tax officials were injured during the clash, police said. Police had originally believed they had killed both militants Friday but one remained alive, Maqdoomi said. The guerrilla began hurling grenades and firing at security forces when they approached the building Saturday. Friday's attack led to a massive blaze in which some 60 people were rescued from the three-storey building after flames believed sparked by the firing engulfed the top floor. Huge numbers of documents were lost. A lesser-known group al Mansoorain claimed responsibility for the attack in telephone calls to local media. |