Nine injured in Kashmir attacks (Second Lead)

SRINAGAR - At least nine people, including three policemen, were injured in separate guerrilla attacks in north Kashmir’s Sopore town Monday, as a gunfight continues around a house where militants are holed up, police said.

Militants fired rifle grenades at a Rashtriya Rifles camp and then barged into a house in Baghat locality of Sopore, about 54 km from here.

“The house has been surrounded and when the holed up militants were asked to surrender. They opened fire triggering an encounter (gunbattle) which is on,” the officer said.

The cordon around the house had been laid by 22 Rashtriya Rifles soldiers and the special operations group (SOG) of the police. Three guerrillas are believed to be inside the house.

The police officer also asserted that all escape routes had been blocked for the guerrillas.

In a separate incident, guerrillas fired at a police team in Sopore Main Chowk near the State Bank of India building.

“Four people, including three police constables and a special police officer (SPO), were injured in the firing by militants at the Main Chowk this morning,” the officer said.

“The militants also fired a rifle grenade at the telephone exchange in Iqbal Nagar locality, injuring five people,” he added.

The office of the Sopore district police chief and the camp of the SOG are situated next to the telephone exchange building.