2 militants escape from security cordon
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Dharamsaal-Kalakote (Rajouri), March 28
Two militants managed to escape from security cordon during an encounter with security forces in the Baji Maal forest area here this afternoon. However, the security forces managed to gun down a militant in the gunfight that continued for more than 20 hours.

Police sources told The Tribune that two of the three militants,

believed to be from the Hizbul Mujahideen, managed to escape from the security cordon laid by the joint team of the special operation group of the police and the Rashtriya Rifles. The security forces had gunned down a militant yesterday and the encounter ended this afternoon.

The sources said the militants taking advantage of dense forest and hostile terrains of the area managed to slip through the security cordon. They identified the slain militant as Muneer Hussain, alias

Abu Adnan, aka Ashiq, of Kandi area in Koteranka. They added that Muneer had been active in Buddhal and Kalakote areas for the last 5-6 years.

“Though we manage to gun down one of the militants, the other two managed to escape from the encounter site this afternoon. Dense forest and hostile terrains worked to the advantage of the surviving militants”, said a police officer, who was among the officers overseeing the operation. “However, we will get these surviving militants soon, as we have mounted heavy pressure on the militants operating in the area”.

Meanwhile, Army sources maintained that there was no laxity on the part of the security forces. Even as the encounter started last evening, there were reports of residents of Brebi village, near the Baji Maal forest area, fearing getting killed started migrating to safer places, but returned after the gunfight between the militants and the security forces ended this afternoon.