Saturday, Security forces and militants in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district smashed when an encounter broke out. An army official said, “Acting on specific information about the presence of militants in Drugmulla village of Kupwara, a joint team of police and army cordoned-off the area”. He said as the security forces were conducting a search operation, the holed-up militants fired upon them. The security forces retaliated, triggering an encounter, the official added. Intermittent firing was going on when last reports came in, he said.