SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The deadly gunfight initiated by militants inside a highly fortified paramilitary camp of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ended Monday with death toll rising to eight, officials said.
The dead include five paramilitary troopers and three militants.
Earlier, on Sunday evening, CRPF declared all the three militants were killed, however the fresh firing inside campus on Monday negated their claims.
"The operation continued throughout night and one militant who was hiding in a building inside the campus was killed today, and the operation stands concluded," a senior official of India's CRPF, S N Srivastava told media.
"Some amount of search operation is going on as we want to discount any chances of anybody hiding there, though chances are bleak, but we want to be doubly sure."
The militants believed to be fidayeen (suicide attackers) stormed the CRPF camp early at at 2:00 a.m. (local time) on Sunday near Srinagar-Jammu highway at village Lethpora-Awantipora of district Pulwama, about 26 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
The gunfight continued for two days and both sides exchanged heavy gunfire during the face-off. Reports said government forces used mortar guns and improvised explosive devices to take on militants who went inside the sprawling training campus to attack paramilitary.
Three paramilitary troopers wounded in the attack were hospitalised and are undergoing treatment.
While four paramilitary troopers were killed fighting militants, fifth one died of a cardiac arrest during the initial assault, officials said.
Officials said, of the three slain militants two were identified as local cadres of Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit, while as the third one whose identity was not ascertained is said to be a foreigner.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people Monday took part in the funeral prayers of two local slain militants at their respective villages in the district. The mourners including men and women took to streets shouting pro-freedom and and anti-India slogans.
At Drabgam village in the district clashes broke out between mourners and government forces. While the youth threw stones on contingents of police and paramilitary, they fired tear smoke shells and warning shots to disperse them.
Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit on Sunday claimed the responsibility of the attack. A statement issued by the outfit to local news organisations said three of its militants have stormed the camp.
Region's police Police Chief, Shesh Paul Vaid and senior CRPF official Srivastava told media they had an input about an impending militant strike in the region for the past three days.
In a similar attack on district police lines complex in the district in August last year, four CRPF personnel and four policemen were killed.
A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989. However, of late Indian policemen too have been trained to fight them.
