12-hour long gun battle ends in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: The 12-hour long gun battle between fidayeens and the security forces ended on Friday morning when the second militant holed up was killed in a close combat at the headquarters of 144 battalion of CRPF on the banks of Dal Lake at Boulevard road.

Three CRPF men, including a safai karmachari were injured in the battle which started after two fidayeens barged into the camp after hurling grenades and firing indiscriminately at the sentry posted outside the gate at 6.15 pm on Thursday.

Prabhakar Triphati, the CRPF spokesman, said alert troops killed one of the fidayeens at the gate itself as the second militant was hiding near the canteen.

“Both of them are from Lashkar-e-Tioba. It was a clean operation and our alert troops foiled this fidayeen attack,” he said.

The DGP said the incident took place after two months of peace in the Srinagar city. But there was a general alert across the state on the eve of Eid.