Handwara: The Handwara encounter that began Thursday night and has claimed the lives of four government forces’ personnel along with a civilian, was still continuing for the third consecutive day on Saturday. 

The government forces have not yet recovered any militant’s body from the encounter site and police officials said the “operation” was still on.

Sources said that a fresh search operation was launched by government forces including army, CRPF and police on Friday night around the debris of the house from where a militant stood up on Friday afternoon and fire indiscriminately, killing two CRPF men and two policemen, besides injuring five other government forces’ personnel.

However, the search operation proved futile with the forces not being able to find any militant’s body.

A police officer said that the operation was still continuing and further details would be shared only when it concludes. He confirmed that no militant’s body had been recovered so far.

The police have also not officially released any statement regarding the encounter.

IGP Kashmir SP Pani, who today paid tributes to the two policemen killed in the Handwara encounter, told reporters in Handwara in the afternoon that the operation was still continuing.