Srinagar:
After 22 hours of fierce gunbattle, the two militants who were holed up in Hotel Panjab in Srinagar's Lal Chowk have been killed. But as security forces searched the area, the hotel building has caught fire. (In pics: Srinagar encounter)
Both militants, a local and a Pakistani, are said to have belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Intelligence sources say, there is the possibility of a third body inside the hotel but it is not yet confirmed whether it is that of a terrorist or a civilian. The body is yet to be recovered.
In addition to the militants, two people, including a policeman, have been killed, and nine injured in the fidayeen (suicide) attack. The policeman, Mohammed Yusuf, who was posted as a driver with the Station House Officer of Maisuma Police station was killed as the militants began their attack on Wednesday. A civilian who was injured, died in hospital on Thursday. Nine people were injured, including Rauf, a cameraman with a Delhi-based private news channel.
On Wednesday afternoon at about 2 pm, the two men, carrying AK47s and grenades, stormed through Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar and attacked a police vehicle. They then walked into Hotel Panjab lobbing grenades and opening fire at security forces.
The whole area was immediately cordoned off. All people out on the streets, including shopkeepers, fled to safety, while traffic went off the roads.
The terrorists holed up on the top floor of Hotel Panjab and fired and threw grenades from that vantage point, holding off the security forces till Thursday morning.
The security forces approached cautiously and made clear a final assault would not be made before all civilians were evacuated from the area. Over 600 people were evacuated from neighbouring buildings. The operation was suspended at around 11 pm last night and resumed at 7 am today. Within a few hours, the security forces launched their final assault.
They stormed the building and carried out a room-to-room search, first managing to kill Qari, a Pakistani terrorist identified through wireless intercepts. Sometime later, the other terrorist, Usman from Sopore, was killed too.
Terror has struck Srinagar in a big way for the first time since 2006 and comes soon after the recent troops cut.
The last suicide attack took place in the Dal Lake area of Srinagar in October 2007. Two militants were killed and three security men injured in that incident.
Wednesday's attack came a day after the National Conference-led coalition government completed its first year in office and listed in its achievements, an improved security situation. (With PTI inputs)
Both militants, a local and a Pakistani, are said to have belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Intelligence sources say, there is the possibility of a third body inside the hotel but it is not yet confirmed whether it is that of a terrorist or a civilian. The body is yet to be recovered.
In addition to the militants, two people, including a policeman, have been killed, and nine injured in the fidayeen (suicide) attack. The policeman, Mohammed Yusuf, who was posted as a driver with the Station House Officer of Maisuma Police station was killed as the militants began their attack on Wednesday. A civilian who was injured, died in hospital on Thursday. Nine people were injured, including Rauf, a cameraman with a Delhi-based private news channel.
On Wednesday afternoon at about 2 pm, the two men, carrying AK47s and grenades, stormed through Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar and attacked a police vehicle. They then walked into Hotel Panjab lobbing grenades and opening fire at security forces.
The whole area was immediately cordoned off. All people out on the streets, including shopkeepers, fled to safety, while traffic went off the roads.
The terrorists holed up on the top floor of Hotel Panjab and fired and threw grenades from that vantage point, holding off the security forces till Thursday morning.
The security forces approached cautiously and made clear a final assault would not be made before all civilians were evacuated from the area. Over 600 people were evacuated from neighbouring buildings. The operation was suspended at around 11 pm last night and resumed at 7 am today. Within a few hours, the security forces launched their final assault.
They stormed the building and carried out a room-to-room search, first managing to kill Qari, a Pakistani terrorist identified through wireless intercepts. Sometime later, the other terrorist, Usman from Sopore, was killed too.
Terror has struck Srinagar in a big way for the first time since 2006 and comes soon after the recent troops cut.
The last suicide attack took place in the Dal Lake area of Srinagar in October 2007. Two militants were killed and three security men injured in that incident.
Wednesday's attack came a day after the National Conference-led coalition government completed its first year in office and listed in its achievements, an improved security situation. (With PTI inputs)
