Forces call-off CASO in Kulgam after 8 hours

Saahil Suhail 

Early Times Report 

Kulgam, Oct 27: The Government Forces on Sunday evening called off an eight hour long cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in Khudwani area of South Kashmir's Kulgam district.

According to reports, joint forces of Army, CRPF and SOG Kulgam launched a cordon and Search Operation in Khudwani-Ghatt village of Kulgam and started house to house seraches.

They said during the operations, stone pelters made fervent attempts to disturb  the operation.

During the day reports of clashes between forces and youth poured in from the area. A dozen of youth suffered injuries during these clashes.

"Injured youth were treated at different hospitals. Most of them were brought in at District Hospital Anantnag for treatment," local residents told Early Times over phone.

They said that during the day their gouses were searched by the forces multiple times.

"Hiding militants couldn't be traced during the operation," admitted a police official, who is not authorized to speak to media.

Senior police officails couldn't be contacted for comments, however police confirmed to have concluded the search operation.

This isn't for the first time that forces haf withdraw from the area without any success. In April month of this year, forces had conclude the operation after facing strong protests of stone pelters. Forces had trapped some militants in a residentail house but stonepelters helped militants in escaping from the encounter site even though the forces blasted the house in which they were hiding.