SRINAGAR, Sept 5: The counter-insurgency operation in which two militants have died, deep in forests of northern Kashmir, has entered its fifth day on Wednesday, the longest in recent past in the region where authorities say militancy-related violence is on a decline ever since it began more than two decades ago.
An army soldier has also been injured since the gunbattle ensued late on Friday in the forest area of Chattergul, Ganderbal, 40 kms from capital Srinagar.
“The area has been cordoned off. Although there has been no firing, yet the combing operation is on,” a senior police officer said.
The operation, conducted jointly by the police and Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Army, saw helicopters pressed into service to look for militants, who could be four to eight in number, according to reports.
But police officers say they have no idea about how many militants were hiding in the jungle, but are still looking for more of them.
Over recent months, there has been a spurt in militancy-related violence in Kashmir, where tens of thousands have died since the early nineties when an armed rebellion started. Kashmir has seen booming tourist seasons for two consecutive years, which analysts say, were signs of normalcy returning to the valley.
But many others including chief minister Omar Abdullah are skeptical. “I’m not suggesting that because we’ve had one million tourists here that it’s a sign of normality,” he said in an interview to the Guardian last month.
The fresh gunfight comes just days after two militants escaped a cordon and gave slip to security forces at Brinal village of southern Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
There is no official word so far on whether the group of guerrillas had recently infiltrated into the Kashmir Valley or had been operating in the area since long.
