August 22, 2003	Friday	Jumadi-us-Sani 23, 1424

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SRINAGAR, Aug 21: A two-month-old baby was among five people killed in a fierce gunbattle in occupied Kashmir, while other shootouts claimed five more lives, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

Indian army soldiers ringed a residence in the village of Ali Brad Bahak, in Anantnag district, after a tipoff that militants were hiding there.

“When the troops were laying cordon around the house, the militants opened fire,” the spokesman said. The Indian troops returned the fire.

Police said four family members — including a mother and her two-month old baby — trapped inside the besieged house and a pro-India militant accompanying the Indian troops were killed during the fighting.

“The fighting has stopped, but Indian troops are still searching the area for militants,” the spokesman said, adding the militants were believed to have escaped.

Senior district officials have rushed to the village. —AFP