A joint operation launched by Army and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, against militants on Friday night in Chillipora village of South Kashmir’s Shopian district was called off on Saturday morning after militants reportedly managed to escape from the area.Pertitnently, Government Forces had cordoned off Chillipora village after militants opened fire on them, while they were laying a siege to the village.The forces' personnel returned the fire, triggering off an encounter. All escape routes were sealed and flood lights had been used to stop militants from fleeing the area.The operation was halted for the night, however, when in morning the search operation was started, no militants presence was observed in the area. “The operation was closed as no militant was found in the village,” SSP Shopian Tahir Saleem told CNS.
It was the first major operation against the militants after they killed three soldiers in the district. Eyewitnesses said that drone was used to track the location of militants; however, they had managed to escape from the village shortly after the exchange of fire.Witnesses said that as the government forces were retreating from the village, scores of protesters hit to roads and attacked them with stones. Locals said that Forces personnel used tear smoke shells to disperse hundreds of protesters who tried to storm the encounter site. They said that Forces resorted to aerial firing after protesters attacked a CRPF vehicle that turned turtle. They alleged that forces damaged several houses during the clashes. Several youth were injured in the clashes with one youth sustaining bullet injury in his hand. (CNS)