Shopian: A 44-hour-long military operation at Turkwangam village of Shopian ended on Thursday with no trace of militants found. A joint team of government forces had launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) in the village on Tuesday night. It was concluded Thursday evening at around 5:30 pm.
Police sources said that government forces including 44 Rashtriya Rifles of army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and 178th battalion of central reserve police force (CRPF) had laid the cordon around the village and they started door to door searches on Wednesday morning.
Locals said that thorough searches were carried out by the forces from one locality to another and a huge number of troops was called for this military operation. They said that it was the first time since 2017 when the whole village was cordoned off as earlier the forces conducted searches only in one or the other locality.
Turkwangam village is situated some 12 kilometers from district headquarters Shopian and has about a thousand households. Locals said that besides the residential houses, cowshed, village peripheries and orchards were also searched by the forces.
Villagers said that announcements on loudspeakers asking militants to surrender were also made in the village. They said that people were told to remain indoors and only those having medical emergencies or exams were allowed to leave the village.

Raashid Hassan