8 policemen wounded when fighting militant in Indian-controlled Kashmir

At least eight Indian policemen were wounded in an overnight gunfight with a militant in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Thursday.

The gunfight broke out Wednesday night at Ahmadnagar locality of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

According to police, the holed up militant managed to escape in the darkness of night.

Police and India's paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force ( CRPF) personnel cordoned off the locality on intelligence inputs suggesting presence of the militant inside a house.

"As the policemen started to enter the house he was holed up, the militant threw grenades and indiscriminately fired from an automatic rifle resulting in wounding eight policemen including a junior level officer," said a senior police officer. "The wounded policemen were immediately removed to hospital."

Following the assault a fierce gunfight raged between the two sides. The firing between the militant and policemen continued until early Thursday.

The police officer said they had a tough time evacuating civilians safely from the locality.

The escape of the militant has come as an embarrassment for police and CRPF. An alert has been sounded in the city to track down the militant. Police have erected barricades at major roads and increased the vigil.

A separatist movement challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Militant groups are engaged in a guerrilla war with Indian troops across the restive region.

Meanwhile, a massive exchange of fire between Indian army and a group of militants Thursday entered the 10th straight day in Keran sector of frontier Kupwara district, around 135 km northwest of Srinagar city.

The militants have infiltrated in the sector on Sept. 24, said Indian army.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from British, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

New Delhi accuses Islamabad of providing arms and training to Kashmiri militants. However, Islamabad says it only provides moral and political support to Kashmiris.