Militants flee after predawn gunfight in Kulgam: Officials

SRINAGAR — Militants have apparently managed to escape after a brief gunfight with a joint team of police and Army at Chaki-Samad village of Damhal Hanjipora in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district at around dawn, officials said on Saturday.

The encounter broke out at around 4 AM after a joint team of Police and Army launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) on specific information about the presence of militants in the area, they said.

A police official said that as the joint team approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated, triggering off the gunfight.

A senior police officer told GNS that there was a lull following which massive searches were launched. He said there was no second contact established with militants nor was anyone arrested, suggesting that the militants fled from the spot, taking advantage of the darkness.

He, however, said that searches in the area were still going on.