Kashmir terror attack kills six, troops take on gunmen (Third Lead)

Separatist guerrillas attacked a police station in Jammu region Thursday morning, killing six people including four policemen. As they escaped in a truck, troops took them on.

Police sources told IANS that the heavily armed militants barged into the Hira Nagar police station in Kathua district lobbing grenades and firing automatic weapons, taking the inmates by surprise.

The dead included a shopkeeper and the driver of a truck parked at the police station.

At least four others were injured. "All the injured have suffered critical splinter and bullet injuries," a police officer said.

Senior police and army officials rushed to the spot with reinforcements.

The Hira Nagar police station is barely seven kilometers away from the Pakistan border.

According to the sources, three militants reached the police station in an autorikshaw.

Once the attack got over, the guerrillas stole a truck from the police station complex and escaped.

After taking to the Pathankote-Jammu highway, the gunmen opened fire in Samba town -- only to run into Indian troops.

"We intercepted the truck which the militants were driving in Samba area," a military spokesperson told IANS.

Military sources said the troops and the guerrillas were locked in a fierce firefight.