The 22-hour long gun battle between militants and security forces at a hotel at Basdshah Chowk near Srinagar ended on Thursday with the killing of two militants.
One policeman was killed and a paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force trooper wounded in the early dawn operation, which had been suspended on Wednesday night owing to darkness.
Five more bodies have been recovered from the encounter site on Thursday afternoon, during search operations; these include two local policemen, two CRPF men and a civilian who worked for the hotel. This takes the death toll to 10.
A joint team of the local police and the CRPF raided the second floor of the hotel building where the two militants were holed up. Five persons, including three policemen, were killed in the 22-hour gun battle. Eleven security personnel and five civilians are being treated for bullet wounds.
The encounter began on Wednesday after militants made an abortive bid to storm the heavily-guarded Dashnami Akhara, housing the holy mace of Lord Shiva, at 11:15 am.
