The fierce encounter between Indian security forces and militants in the Ahmednagar area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday ended later in the day after the terrorists escaped into the darkness.
Heavy firing was exchanged between the two sides for hours in the late night siege at Soura near Srinagar. One the militants is said to be top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander, Abu Huraira,
At least six personnel of the state police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured during the encounter after the terrorists lobbed a grenade at them. The injured were rushed to a local hospital immediately.
The terrorists, who were holed up in a house, opened fire at around 2 am and managed to escape by taking an advantage of the dense forest area behind the cordoned house.
Police have sealed off the area as Huraira is believed to be trapped in the dense forest. A massive search operation has been launched.
Wednesday's siege laid by the Indian security forces was reported just hours after Indian Army revealed that its forces had been engaged against Pakistan troops ever since the massive infiltration attempt by 30 terrorists in the Keran sector.
Lt-General Gurmeet Singh of the Army's 15 Corps had suggested on Wednesday that the infiltration camp had the backing and training of the Border Action Team of the Pakistani Army, which includes members of Pakistan's commando Special Services Group.
The Indian army also claimed that 12 infiltrators were killed so far, but no bodies have been recovered.
The infiltration had begun five days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York, on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly session. The leaders said their Directors General of Military Operations will work on the issue of border incursions.
