Militants escape after encounter with forces

Militants holed up in Batnoor village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district managed to escape after an encounter with security forces on Friday morning.

Sources said the security personnel had cordoned off the village after inputs about the presence of two to three militants in the area during the early hours on Friday. However, when the forces reached Batnoor village around 2 am, they came under heavy fire from the hiding militants. Under the cover of darkness, the militants managed to escape, they said.

Reports said dozens of youth took to the streets after the cordon was lifted at 7 am and pelted stones at the security personnel.