The 11-day-long anti-militancy operation in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district was called off after security forces failed to establish any contact with terrorists for the past 48 hours.

Source said there had been no exchange of fire since Saturday morning in Akhal forest, and it was suspected that the hiding terrorists may have escaped taking advantage of the thick foliage.

“The operation has been closed,” a security official said.

The joint operation was launched on August 1 following credible intelligence about the presence of a large group of militants in the dense forest belt.

In the initial exchange of fire, a terrorist was killed.

Nearly a week later, a fierce gunfight erupted, resulting in the killing of two soldiers from the Army’s elite counter-insurgency unit — Lance Naik Pritpal Singh of Manupur village in Khanna, Punjab, and Sepoy Harminder Singh of Badinpur village in Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab. Eight soldiers were also injured in the entire operation and are reported to be in stable condition.

Throughout the operation, security forces deployed ground combing parties, drone surveillance, thermal imaging devices, and sniffer dogs in an effort to track down the holed up militants.