Kashmiri-womanTwo CRPF personnel and two civilians were killed and 13 others, including a foreign photo journalist from Japan, were injured when terrorists struck in the Lal Chowk, the busy business area in Srinagar (Kashmir) in India last evening (Nov. 14).



The Times of India reports that the operation to flush out militants was suspended Monday night to avoid civilian casualties as many people are believed to have been trapped inside hotels and other establishments in the area. Security forces have rescued three civilians from a hotel Tuesday morning before resuming operation to flush out terrorists holed up in one of the buildings in Lal Chowk area, which witnessed a fierce gunbattle Monday.



‘We have rescued three civilians holed up in one of the hotel buildings this morning,’ a senior police officer told reporters. While security forces believe that two militants were holed up in the area, Al-Mansoorian militant outfit, which owned responsibility for the attack Monday evening, claimed that their members had ‘returned safely’ after the attack.