KV Correspondent

Shopian anti-militancy operation ends, forces return empty handed

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South Kashmir is known as the emerging hotbed of militancy in valley and cordons and search operations are launched everyday almost at half dozen villages of different areas. However the search operation that was launched today in Shopian villages is of first kind of operation since 90’s.

Government forces in the wee hours of Thursday cordoned off around a dozen-odd villages in Shopian district of south Kashmir and started door to door search to look for militants.

The operations have been launched in six villages falling under Zainapora sub district in Shopian after security forces received information about movement of militants there, a police official said.

The villages which were under cordon include Turkwangam, Sugan, Hefkuri, Dragad, Malnad, chitragam, Chudipora, Nagbal and it’s adjacent areas.

The cordon was laid down by a joint team of 55-Rashtriya Rifles, 44 Rashtriya Rifles, 114 CRPF and police and SOG from Shopian, reports said.

South Kashmir has seen a spate of attacks on banks, especially in southern districts of Shopian and Pulwama this month.

The house to house search operation was conducted and mainly the Orchards of the area were searched as forces were expecting the militants are hiding in orchards. 

The operation was going peacefully upto 10 am.

However, the operations were being hampered by groups of people pelting stones at security forces in Sugan and Turkwangam villages , the official said.

Drone cameras and helicopter were also seen hovering over the sky during search operation.

Additional security force personnel were rushed to the area to chase away the stone-pelters. The clashes continued for more than 2 hours.

No casualties have been reported in the clashes between stone pelters and security forces, official added. 

Recently, videos of large groups of militants – in some cases as many as 30 – have surfaced on social media, despite ban imposed by authorities on 22 such sites and applications.

Security agencies believe that these videos were shot in south Kashmir area, especially Shopian district.

On May 1, seven persons including five policemen and two bank guards were killed in militant attack and on 2 May late evening militants decamped with 5  rifles including 4 Insas and one AK 47 from policemen guarding the District Court Complex in Shopian.

Police believes that same group of militants are involved in both the incidents and forces were expecting the same group of militants are hiding there, police official said . 

However search operation was concluded forces without finding anything


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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