Challenged by alert securitymen, the militants fled the scene and took refuge in a nearby shopping complex where they were holed up and engaged in a long drawn gunbattle.

The operation to flush out the militants numbering two or three was being hampered by the presence of civilians in the building, official sources said.

So far 14 of the 21 civilians have been rescued by police and BSF personnel and attempts were on to bring out the remaining before a full fledged operation is launched.

Mufti's daughter and People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti was in the house when the militants struck at around 10 am but was safe.

While two BSF personnel head constable Rajinder Singh and constable Sriram Gopal were killed, a photographer of AP News Agency, two local scribes and two security personnel were wounded when the ultras hurled a grenade at the forces after taking refuge in the shopping complex.

In the subsequent exchange of fire, seven more security personnel were injured, they said.

Earlier officials had said a civilian was also killed in the attack along with two BSF men presuming a person lying on the ground to be dead.


Militant groups al Nasireen, Farzandan-e-Millat and al-Mansoorian have claimed responsibility for the attack.
While a man claiming to be spokesman of al-Nasireen said the group jointly carried out the attack with Farzandan-e-Millat, al-Mansoorian disputed the claim saying its two-member suicide squad was involved.

Sayeed, who had left for Aligarh by a morning flight, told reporters there that his government was committed to maintain peace in Jammu and Kashmir and the attacks will not hinder its resolve.

"Such attacks are only aimed at derailing the peace process", he told reporters. Mufti has cut short his visit and was returning home.
Today's attack was the second on the chief minister since he assumed office in November last year. Militants had fired a rifle grenade at Mufti's Nowgam residence on November 2, the day he took oath as chief minister.


Bureau Report