An extensive day-long cordon and search operation (CASO) was carried out in Hajin area of Bandipora district in north Kashmir on Wednesday to neutralize the Lashkar-e-Toiba militants.
A police officer told that the operation was launched following large-scale movement of LeT militants, majority of them foreigners, in Hajin Town and adjacent villages. He said that government forces cordoned off entire Hajin belt today in the morning hours and carried out extensive searches of houses and orchards throughout the day.
The officer said that the forces however could not make any contact with militants nor anyone was arrested. He said that army, police and its counter-insurgency SOG and CRPF were involved in the operation. The Wednesday’s operation came days after suspected militants shot dead a local BSF personnel namely Ramzan Paray and assault his family at Parray Mohalla Hajin on September 27. In recent months, the militants of LeT from Pakistan have established their base in Hajin – an erstwhile bastion of counter-insurgency Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen, reports said.