Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 18: A day after Colonel Santosh Mahadik of 41 RR was killed in a gun battle with militants hiding in a North Kashmir’s forest village in Kupwara district; army today intensified the search operation in the area.
Army today asked the Sarpanchs of Safawali, Kumkadi, Trumnad, Manigah and its adjoining areas to make announcements in the villages asking people not to venture out.
The Army’s 9 Para, 4 Para and 41 RR today cordoned off several villages in the area and large part of forests near these villages and conduced massive searches.
The villages were cordoned off as Army has apprehensions that the militants are hiding inside the residential houses and other structures.
Army also used choppers and sniffer dogs to trace out the militants responsible for the killing of the Colonel. Army choppers were seen hovering over the area to trace out the militants in the forests.
Sources said that the operation against the militants will continue till the militants are traced out. More troops are likely to join the operation by tomorrow and searches will be extended to the other forest areas.
Army Colonel Santosh Mahadik of 41 RR was killed and two other security men were injured when a militant hiding in village Manigah fired at the Army yesterday.
The militant group had managed to give slip to the army four times since last week at several locations in the forest area.
Army launched the operation against the group on Friday after they received information about their presence in the forest area. Two soldiers were injured when militants opened fire at one of the Army search party at Payerpati forest area in Manigah.
On Monday evening, they had a brief gun battle with the Army and slipped out of the cordon.
The group, sources said, infiltrated 15 days ago and was trapped in the in snow. On November 10, Army recovered the body of a militant in Kumkadi forests of Manigah who had died due to severe cold.
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