Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 16: Militants today fired indiscriminately and lobbed a grenade before escaping from a security forces cordon in Palhallan area of Baramulla district.
Army’s 29 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), SOG and 53 battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jointly launched the operation following inputs about the presence of militants in the area.
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Sources said that the security forces had information about presence of a group of LeT militants in Tantraypora area of Palhallan and cordoned it off at around 11:30. last night.
As the security forces conducted searches, militants fired at the troops and hurled a grenade and heavy firing followed from both the sides.
However, people took to streets and clashed with the security forces to help the militants escape. A group of locals resorted to stone-pelting to disrupt the gunfight. Security forces responded by lobbing teargas shells triggering clashes.
A police spokesman, meanwhile, said that the operation was launched following information about the presence of some militants in the area.
“While the cordon was being established and civilians evacuated from the area, militants fired indiscriminately and managed to escape taking advantage of darkness,” the spokesman said.
Sources said that there was a group of LeT militants hiding in the village but they had left before the operation was launched and one militant Mohammad Yusuf of Check Kawoosa in district Budgam was, however, hiding in a house. He fired at the troops, jumped out of window and fled from the village.
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