Two militants killed in shopping centre stand-off

Government forces today killed two suspected Islamic militants hiding in a shopping complex near the residence of India’s most senior elected official in Kashmir, ending a 24-hour stand-off, police said.

Two commandos were wounded as they raided the complex at daybreak and were fired at by suspected rebels holed up on the top floor of the four-story complex, said R S Bhullar, the deputy inspector general of Border Security Force.

Government soldiers searched the Ali Jan shopping complex after dragging out the bodies of the two militants.

“The operation is over. Two militants have been killed. The area is cleared and secure,” said Gopal Sharma, the director-general of local police.

The exchange of gunfire and grenade explosions by suspected rebels shattered windows and left bullet marks and blood splattered on three floors of the building.

The suspected guerrillas entered the complex yesterday after detonating two grenade explosions near the home of Jammu-Kashmir state’s Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. He was not home at the time of the attack.

The blasts injured three soldiers and four civilians, including photographers for the Associated Press and a local newspaper. Two paramilitary soldiers were also killed on Friday before the attackers entered the shopping centre.

In all, 22 soldiers and police have been injured during battles with the militants, Bhullar said.

Soldiers and police in combat gear had evacuated 25 trapped civilians using a rope ladder, he said.

“While we were inside, we were lying flat on our bellies and remembering God,” said Hina Rashid, 23, a computer trainer. “After the rescue team arrived, we slipped down a rope from the fourth floor.”

Two relatively unknown Islamic militant groups, Farzandan-e-Millat and Al-Nasireen, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a telephone call to a local news agency in Srinagar on Friday.

Police officials said Farzandan-e-Millat was previously unknown, while Al-Nasireen was believed to be a cover for the Pakistan-based militant group, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.