Indian Army kicks off grand offensive in Occupied Kashmir
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SRI NAGAR: Thousands of Indian soldiers and paramilitaries were Thursday engaged in an operation in occupied Kashmir.
Police said government forces had surrounded at least 20 villages in the drive, launched early Thursday in Shopian district in the volatile south of the disputed Himalayan region.
"It is an unprecedented operation," deputy inspector general of police S P Pani told AFP.
"It is impossible to capture the militants, but we hope there will be contact (exchange of fire) with them in the course of the day."
Witnesses said hundreds of residents came out onto the streets in two villages, Sug and Tarkwangan, during the search operations and threw stones at the soldiers.
One said soldiers had attacked private homes in his village with sticks and rocks.
"It was scary. Many houses were damaged," the villager told AFP by phone, requesting anonymity.
Witnesses said army helicopters were hovering above the area as the search operations were going on.
The Kashmir valley has been tense since early April, when election day violence kicked off a series of anti-India protests including by students.
