Loud explosions were heard near the encounter site in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday night, nine hours after security forces trapped militants.
Sources said both sides held fire for more than two hours at Awoora village near Pahalgam in Anantnag district after a fierce gunfight that broke out after 3 p.m. on Sunday.
However, loud explosions were reported around 11 p.m. It is not clear who detonated these explosives.
At least three local Hizbul Mujahideen militants are believed to be trapped inside a single-storey house, nestled near a forest area.
The hiding militants started firing on the search party on Sunday afternoon after a it laid a cordon in the area.
One of the trapped militants, according to several online news portals, has called up his family member and claimed he may not be able to break the cordon as “they are surrounded from all sides”. However, there is no official confirmation of this conversation.
A police official said locals clashed with security forces in a bid to help the trapped militant to break the cordon. However, tear smoke shells were used in parts of Anantnag and near the encounter site to disperse the stone throwing protesters.
Meanwhile, weather is also slowing down the operation. The weather office has predicted a fresh snowfall in the next 24 hours, which may force the security agencies to speed up the operation.
The Army has furnished no details of the operation.
