Kashmir Rebels Attack Office Complex, Kill 5

Two armed militants stormed a busy government office complex Thursday in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, prompting a four-hour gun battle that left seven people dead, including the attackers, a paramilitary force spokesman said.

Two paramilitary soldiers, two civilians and a police officer were killed, said K. Srinivasan, a top official with India’s Border Security Force.

The gunmen forced their way into the administrative complex in central Srinagar in the afternoon, firing automatic weapons and killing the soldiers guarding the entrance, said Neeraj Kumar, a paramilitary official.

Security forces surrounded the complex and used armored vehicles to bring out terrified office workers. Relatives flocked to the scene to wait for news.

“All we could hear were firing and explosions. Then some policemen huddled us into a truck and we were driven out,” government worker Ghulam Qadir said.

Hundreds of people work in the building, which is the headquarters for the Srinagar district government.

A person claiming to be a spokesman for Al Mansoorian, a Pakistan-based guerrilla group, telephoned a local newspaper and said the organization had carried out the attack.

More than a dozen militant groups have been fighting security forces in Indian-held Kashmir since 1989, seeking independence for the Himalayan region or its merger with neighboring Pakistan.

India accuses Pakistan of allowing militants to train in camps in its territory and of supporting attacks. Pakistan denies the allegation.