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Security forces were locked up in an hour-long shooting with militants locked up in a house in Handwara, northern Kashmir, authorities said Saturday night, suspecting that the gunmen were terrorists who recently infiltrated the Valley.
According to officials who asked not to be identified, approximately four terrorists are believed to be involved in the encounter that started around 3:30 p.m. in the Chanjmulla area of Handwara, which is located in the Kupwara district of northern Kashmir.
Two senior army officers, a state police officer and a soldier were near the scene of the meeting, the PTI news agency reported, citing unidentified sources. According to sources, a search was being carried out to trace the missing personnel, while the operation to neutralize the militants was also underway, PTI reported.
The meeting began in the afternoon after the Army and police launched a joint operation in the Rajwar forests after a warning about the presence of militants in the area. The militants emerged and hid inside a house.
Police Special Operation Group teams surrounded the house and lights had been erected around the area where the encounter was located, a senior security official said, asking not to be identified. As the shooting was ongoing, this person added, there were no further details on the operation of the unit that participated in the meeting.
Defense spokesman Rajesh Kalia did not respond to phone calls made by HT.
