Suicide attack Kills 7 in India held-Kashmir
Pakistan Times Kashmir Desk

SRINAGAR: Two gunmen were killed after attacking Occupied Kashmir’s administrative headquarters late Thursday, ending a bloody siege which trapped 250 people and saw the deaths of five others.

“Both of the attackers who had stormed the complex have been shot dead,” said Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman Neeraj Kumar.

“The firing has ended but the operation is not yet over,” he said, adding that Indian forces were searching the heavily fortified complex to ensure there were no other 'rebels'.

K. Srinivasan, deputy inspector general of the BSF who headed the operation, said three policemen and two civilians had also been killed in the gunfire.

Backdrop

The gunmen attacked in the early afternoon, firing on security force personnel from positions inside the complex.

The raid occurred while Srinagar’s top administrator Shalender Kumar was in a meeting with two senior military officers.

All three were brought out safely, but some 250 government workers and members of the public trapped inside the multi-building complex had to wait for armoured trucks to take them out amid the rattle of heavy gunfire, officials said.

After two hours all of them were rescued and troops began firing on the complex, with the attackers shooting back until they were gunned down.

The Claim

Two groups, Al Mansurian and Al Badr, claimed responsibility for the attack in telephone calls to local newspapers.

The attack came as the administration grapples with the heaviest snowfalls in two decades that have brought the region to a near-standstill and sparked avalanches in southern districts which have killed some 231 people.

The complex, on the banks of the frozen Jhelum river, houses hundreds of government employees who oversee the civilian administration of the valley during the winters as the main seat of power shifts to Jammu.

In other violence, Indian troops shot dead six Mujahideen in separate encounters, while three paramilitary troops and 10 civilians were injured in two grenade attacks, a police spokesman said Thursday.●