India launches operation against 'militants' in held Kashmir district

Almost two dozen villages in Shopian district have been cordoned

Indian forces launched on Thursday a security operation in the Shopian district of held Kashmir, amid rising militant attacks in the disputed valley.

According to the The Times of India, almost two dozen villages in the district have been cordoned, where Indian security forces were preparing to carry out a search operation.

Suspects, the report suggested, barged into a police post late Wednesday night and escaped with five service rifles.



Separately, two banks were robbed in Pulwama area in a span of two hours.

Police and Indian army routinely complain that civilians assist 'militants' during clashes with armed forces, a frequent occurrence in the divided and volatile state.

The restive Himalayan region suffered a rise in violence since the killing in July 2016 of Burhan Wani, a popular young rebel leader, in a gun battle with soldiers.