Anantnag: Government forces used men and machinery to re-establish contact with militants believed to be hidden in the area after a brief exchange of gunfire with forces in Kulgam on Wednesday night.
The operation launched at about 11 pm Wednesday night was still going on in Yamrach area of the district.
The operation was launched following inputs about presence of militants hiding in the area. “The cordon and search operation was launched and within an hour of the searches, contact was established with the militants,” a senior police official from the area said.
He said that the militants, however, stopped firing after the initial burst of heavy gunfire.
“Either they have managed to escape owing to darkness and heavy fire or they are still lurking in the area, hiding somewhere,” the police official said, adding that the forces were not leaving anything to chance.
Local sources told Kashmir Reader that extensive searches were being carried out from door-to-door in the area, while the heavy cordon of the whole area continues.
“The forces have employed bulldozers and have so far razed at least one cowshed to ground trying to find a militant hideout,” a local source said, “They are searching every house, every cowshed and every granary in the area,”
Meanwhile the police are yet to give out any official statement regarding the operation after asking media men to refrain from speculative reporting (“having law and order bearings”) last night.

Suhail A Shah