Indian commandos Saturday gained control of the main police station in the Kashmiri city of Srinagar after Muslim militants stormed the complex in a daring raid which left at least 10 people dead.
Troops launched a final all-out assault at dawn on a building where several gunmen had been holed up since a squad of militants fought their way into the large complex nearly 12 hours earlier, police said.
Kashmir police chief Ashok Bhan said eight policemen and two militants had been confirmed dead, and that troops were still combing buildings in search of booby traps or more militants.
The Pakistan-based Islamic fundamentalist group Laskher-e-Taiba and the Alumar Mujahideen claimed responsibility, saying as many as six militants took part in the joint operation.
The high-profile attack comes after the Indian government on January 23 extended its unilateral ceasefire in the region for another month, and the raid is likely to lead to intense pressure on New Delhi to abandon the policy.
The squad of militants approached the police station's front gate at around 7:10 pm (1340 GMT) on Friday in a white Ambassador taxi and opened fire with grenades and automatic weapons, killing two policemen and wounding six others.
Some of the militants then managed to get inside the sprawling complex and intense exchanges of gunfire could be heard for more than one hour.
Troops using bullet-proof vehicles moved into the complex late on Friday night to hunt for the gunmen and at around 5:00 am (0000 GMT) on Saturday around 50 policemen were escorted to safety.
The soldiers waited for the first rays of dawn before launching a final attack on a building adjacent to the main compound where the militants had been holding an unknown number of people hostage, police sources said.
Onlookers outside the complex said they heard desperate cries of "Bachao" (save us) from the building as troops moved in.
The area within a one kilometre (0.6 mile) radius of the police station was cordoned off Saturday as the security forces swept the area, and nearby roads were packed with camouflage army vehicles.
Outside the main gate police were busy building new bunkers, while survivors were seen embracing each other.
One shell-shocked policeman was weeping by the side of the road close to the abandoned taxi used in the attack.
"Only God saved me ... We could not sleep or sit or think of anything. We could only hope we would be saved," said Abdul Rashid, who was on duty at the main gate when the militants attacked.
Riaz Ahmed, a spokesman for the Alumar, told AFP six militants launched the attack. He said one was killed but five escaped.
A spokesman for the Laskher-e-Taiba said: "This operation is against the special operation group of the police who have unleashed ex-judicial killings of innocent Kashmiris."
The raid is the third major Muslim militant attack since the Indian government unilaterally suspended its counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir on November 27.
In December militants gunned down three people inside the Red Fort in New Delhi, while in January three policeman and two civilians died in a suicide attack on Srinagar airport.
The Laskher has from the beginning rejected India's ceasefire, which is due to be reviewed on February 26.
Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said the latest attack was an act of "naked aggression" aimed at scuttling peace efforts.
"This is yet another reality that shows these militants are against the return of peace in the valley," he said.
In a separate clash Friday Indian troops said they shot dead six Muslim militants in the Keri sector of Indian-held Kashmir some 150 kilometres (95 miles) north of Jammu.
The Himalayan state of Kashmir is divided into Indian and Pakistani-held zones. India blames Pakistan for fueling a Muslim insurgency in Indian-held Kashmir which has claimed more than 34,000 lives since 1989.
Pakistan denies the charge, saying it only offers moral and diplomatic support to what it views as the Kashmiris' legitimate struggle for self- determination -- SRINAGAR, India (AFP)
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