Deadly assault: Eight Indian security men killed in IOK gun battle

Separatist militants storm police headquarters in Pulwama

SRINAGAR: A day-long gun battle Saturday left at least 10 dead in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) as separatist militants stormed a police facility in a pre-dawn attack, authorities said.

The fighters, believed to be three in number, detonated grenades and fired automatic assault rifles to gain entry to the police headquarters in southern Pulwama district which also houses families of some officers, director general of police SP Vaid said.

One police officer was killed in the initial assault, while three paramilitary troops were injured and evacuated to a nearby hospital, he said.

“Three more police officers and four CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) soldiers were killed later during the attack,” Vaid told AFP.

Two fighters were also killed and government forces were searching for the third attacker, believed to be holed up in the compound, he said.

All the families in the compound were evacuated and there had been no hostages, police said in an earlier statement.



Authorities cut off mobile internet services in the district to prevent residents from organising anti-India protests as a tactic to help the fighters escape.

In recent months, residents, sometimes entire villages, have increasingly hit the streets and thrown stones at soldiers when separatist militants are trapped in military cordons to help them escape.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators after sporadic protests broke out close to the police facility, an officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Separatist groups have for decades fought the more than 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the restive territory, demanding independence or a merger of the former Himalayan kingdom with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands, mostly civilians, have died in the decades-long separatist insurgency in IOK.