Shopian: Militants gave the slip to government forces after a brief exchange of fire in which two army soldiers were injured at Cheki-Nowgam village in Shopian district on Wednesday evening. The village is situated some six kilometers away from district headquarters Shopian.
The brief exchange of gunfire took place after a cordon and search operation was launched by a joint team of government forces including 44 Rashtriya Rifles of army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and 14th battalion of central reserve police force in the village after inputs about the presence of militants in the area. Two soldiers, according to police, sustained critical injuries during the firefight.
According to police sources, as soon as the search party headed towards the suspected spot, they came under heavy gunfire from the militants. He said that the fire was retaliated but the militants managed to escape from the spot taking advantage of darkness.
A top police officer said that two militants including a foreigner were involved in the exchange of fire and they later managed to escape from the spot.
The forces were withdrawn from the area and the operation was called off on Thursday.
Both the soldiers injured in the militant firing, according to police, are being treated at Army’s Srinagar-based 92 Base Hospital.

Raashid Hassan