Srinagar, January 7
Both militants holed up in a hotel in Lal Chowk were killed by security forces in a surgical operation today, bringing to an end the 22-hour long gunfight in the heart of the city.

DGP Kuldip Khoda said both militants were from the Lashkar-e-Toiba. He said Pakistan-sponsored terror outfits were getting desperate due to decreasing violence in the state and the attack was borne out of this desperation. One militant, Qari, was a Pakistani, while another, Manzoor Ahmad, hailed from Sopore, as per wireless intercepts obtained by them.

Besides the death of one policeman in the first exchange of fire between the fidayeen (suicide squad) and the security forces, though the police was at pains to claim that it was not a fidayeen attack, the security forces managed mostly a clean operation and one CRPF man suffered a bullet injury as they stormed the hotel, officials said.

However, one civilian from Tangmarg, who was injured yesterday, died today. Eight persons, including some security personnel, were injured yesterday.

As the dawn broke today, joint teams of the CRPF and the police launched the final offensive to flush out the militants. Both militants kept changing positions while lobbing grenades. Official sources said they set upper floors of Punjab Hotel, where they were hiding, afire to target security personnel descending on them.

“One militant jumped from the upper floor to the rear side of the hotel and was shot by our men. The other also jumped after some time as smoke billowed and was also killed,” an official conversant with the operation said.

IG, CRPF, NC Asthana said they initially suspected that three militants could be involved and the final assault on them took time, as they wanted to evacuate civilians trapped in the locality to safety. More than 100 civilians were rescued yesterday.