Srinagar, India // Troops and police on Monday killed three militants after they seized a government building in Indian Kashmir, ending a three-day gun battle in which five soldiers and a civilian also died.
The fighting broke out when rebels ambushed a paramilitary convoy on Saturday, killing two troopers before taking refuge in the building on the outskirts of the state capital Srinagar.
“All the three militants have been killed in the gun battle. Their bodies have been recovered,” the inspector general of police for the region, Javaid Gillani, said. “We’re now clearing the huge building room by room.”
The heavily-armed militants, who are fighting against Indian rule over the disputed Himalayan region, allowed more than 120 people including trainees and staff to flee from the building after they stormed it.
Soldiers and police surrounded the premises and fired mortar bombs, while the militants responded with automatic weapons and hand grenades.
Loud explosions and fierce exchange of gunfire rattled the building during the standoff that was the longest-running attack in five years in and around the region’s main city of Srinagar. Fire was also seen in the building, but the flames subsided after a while.
On Sunday two captains and a special forces soldier were killed as the gun battle raged.
A gardener died in the initial crossfire and 13 members of the Central Reserve Police Force were wounded.
As the battle raged, hundreds of local residents came onto the streets in support of the rebels, chanting slogans against Indian rule. Government forces fired tear gas and pellet guns, while the protesters threw rocks. Police said at least 15 protesters were hurt.
After the militants were killed, troops recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition as they secured each floor of the five-story building, said Lt. Gen. Arvind Dutta, a senior army officer.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since they won independence from Britain in 1947. Both claim the territory in its entirety.
Several rebel groups have for decades been fighting Indian forces deployed in the Himalayan region, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.
The fighting haskilled tens of thousand, mostly civilians.
Last week police ordered residents to stay indoors during gun battles with rebels after two students were killed in similar protests.
Overall violence in the region has sharply declined during the last decade but armed clashes between rebels and government forces still occur regularly.
Associated Press and Agence France-Presse