Security forces, militants engage in gun battle at Shopian

Security forces on Friday launched a search operation in Shopian district of south Kashmir to flush out hiding militants, triggering a gunfight.

A gunfight broke out at village Karewa in Shopian, 55 km from Srinagar, immediately after security forces launched a search operation following specific information about presence of militants there, a police officer said.

He said reinforcements have been rushed to the village and efforts are on to neutralise the militants who had refused to surrender and continued firing on the search parties.

There was no immediate report of any casualty on either side, the officer said.

The encounter took place a day after militants carried out an attack on a polling party escorted by police and CRPF in the district at the end of the voting resulting in the death of a polling official and injuries to five others including three securitymen.