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Roundup: 3 troopers, militant killed on 2nd day in gov't building stand-off in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Xinhua, February 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Three troopers including two officers and a militant were killed on the second day of gunfight at a government building on Sunday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, taking death toll to seven, officials said.

One army officer and the militant were killed in the evening. Earlier during the day, an army captain and a trooper were killed.

The gunfight is ongoing at a multistory government building of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) at Pampore town of Pulwama district, about 24 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"In the gunfight today, we have killed a militant and his body has been retrieved," India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) spokesman Bhavesh Chaudhury told Xinhua. "Besides this, three army personnel including two officers were killed during the day."

On Saturday, two CRPF personnel lost their lives in the attack. A civilian working at EDI was also killed after being hit by bullets in the initial assault.

Throughout the day, sound of heavy gunfire and explosions was heard near the gunfight site. During the exchange, the top floor of building caught fire and columns of smoke were seen billowing out of it.

Militants believed to be three in number are reported to be taking positions inside the building and firing on army and police positions, officials said.

Reports said authorities used Unmanned Aerial Vehicles fitted with cameras during the gunfight to get an idea about militant positions.

Ahead of entering the building on Saturday, militants attacked a CRPF convoy wounding 11 personnel, out of which two succumbed. Later on another four troopers were wounded when they tried to enter the building.

According to Chaudhury, the 13 CRPF personnel wounded in the attack were undergoing treatment at a hospital.

On Saturday, authorities had to evacuate more than 100 people, including trainees and employees of the EDI when militants made their entry inside it.

Adjacent to the EDI building is a CRPF camp.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between the two sides take place intermittently across the region. Endit