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| Indian security force personnel take cover
beside an armoured vehicle during an encounter in Srinagar.(AFP
photo) |
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| Indian paramilitary soldiers run for cover
as fire engulfs the Tourist Reception Center after it was attacked by
militants in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, April 6, 2005. (AP Photo)
| NEW DELHI, April 6 (Xinhuanet)-- Terrorists Wednesday
stormed a complex housing passengers set to take the Kashmir bus service,
sparking a huge fire and a fiery gun battle that left both the attackers dead,
Indo-Asian News Service reported.
All the 29 passengers of
Thursday's inaugural Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus link who had been kept in
the complex for safety reasons were immediately taken to an undisclosed
destination in a bulletproof vehicle.
Seven people injured in the audacious terror attack.
Among them were three civilians and four security personnel, including a woman.
The Indian government convened a meeting in New Delhi
to discuss security issues concerning Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's scheduled
inauguration of the much-hyped Kashmir bus. The Pakistani government quickly
condemned the attack.
The four plush, air-conditioned buses meant to ply on
the route, were being driven to the complex when the attack took place and were
immediately diverted to the traffic police lines.
Indian Security forces gunned down both guerrillas
who zoomed to the area on a motorcycle and barged into the complex, which
included the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation's bus yard and a
tourist reception center housing the bus passengers.
The complex, located in the heart of Srinagar, was
gutted after leaping flames enveloped its wooden roof during the fighting
between guerrillas and security forces.
As the roof went up in flames, hundreds of people who
work in offices at the complex rushed out. Enditem |