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Srinagar- An unspecified number of militants are trapped in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, where an encounter broke out on Saturday evening after government forces launched a cordon and search operation (CASO)
Police, army and the paramilitary CRPF personnel laid a siege around Shirmal village of the district on Saturday evening on the basis of information about the presence of militants, a police official said. The hiding militants, he said, fired upon the search team when they were approaching towards the suspected spot.
“The search team returned the fire triggering off an encounter. The exchange of fire is going on,” the official said.
The official further said that the cordon has been tightened around the village to foil any attempt of the holed up militants to escape from their dragnet under the cover of darkness.
A local news agency quoted a source as saying that two to three militants are believed to be trapped in the village.