09 January 2005	Sunday	27 Ziqa'ad 1425

SRINAGAR, Jan 8: Seven people died in a two-day battle between Mujahideen and security forces at a federal tax office in occupied Kashmir that ended on Saturday, police officials said.

"The operation is over," senior police official Javed Maqdoomi told reporters in Srinagar.

In all, two Mujahideen, four security force personnel and a tax official had died in the fighting, he said.

The attack began when two grenade-hurling men stormed the high-security federal income tax compound late on Friday afternoon. A dozen security force personnel and income tax officials were injured during the clash, police said.

Police had originally believed they had killed both Kashmiri fighters on Friday but one remained alive, Maqdoomi said. The Kashmiri fighter began hurling grenades and firing at security forces when they approached the building on Saturday.-AFP