Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured and a terrorist killed in Srinagar late Thursday evening after two suicide bombers stormed a heavily guarded CRPF headquarters on the banks of the Dal Lake.
Lashkar-e- Taiba (LeT) has claimed responsibility for the attack. Briefing that intermittent exchange of fire was stilll continuing till late in the night, the police said an operation would be launched at dawn.
The police said the two hurled grenades and fired from automatic weapons forcing their entry into the headquarters of 144 CRPF battalion on Boulevard Road, where people were busy shopping on the eve of Eid.
"Three CRPF jawans were injured in the attack as the militants were engaged in a sustained gun-battle by the troops inside the camp. One of the two militants have been killed, while the other is still holed up inside," a senior police officer said.
The Thursday evening attack came a day before the three-day-long unilateral ceasefire announced by the conglomerate of militant groups United Jihad Council (UJC), considering the holy festival.
"We have cordoned off the hotel and sealed the entire area," the officer said. The hotel is situated on the southern banks of the Dal Lake, a favourite tourist spot.
As darkness enveloped, the cordon around the hotel was tightened and flood lights were being installed to ensure that the holed-up militant don't escape.