Sources said that the two terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Toiba who had been trapped by the security forces in an operation in Banihal area in Ramban, close to the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Sunday, have escaped.

Official sources said that the terrorists, Qari Zuber, divisional commander, and Shamim escaped from the hideout in Sher Bibi forest area under Banihal police station of Ramban district. The 300-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the Valley’s sole road link to the rest of the country, had been closed for the whole day because of the operation.

Sources said that the hideout of the terrorists, a natural cave turned permanent hideout by mixing concrete with soil, was blasted by planting Improvised Explosive Devices. The security forces, which comprised troops of 23 RR, Special Operations Group of Ramban Police and Banihal Police, also conducted heavy firing inside the hideout on Monday.

Later, a search of the hideout only yielded domestic items like gas cylinders and ration, with sources claiming that the terrorists had, in all likelihood, escaped before the operation began, after learning about the presence of the security forces in the area. The area is still cordoned off by the security forces to launch further searches.

Zuber and Shamim, both active in Banihal, had been using the hideout for some time now.

“The joint operation had been launched in the area for locating the hideout and destroying it following specific information regarding the hideout.

However, it would have been best if we would have got the two terrorists also,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity, adding that “our efforts to get the two terrorists will continue.”