Kishtwar, Aug. 11 -- Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district have busted a Hamas-style terrorist hideout in the dense Dool forest area, as a major counter-terror operation entered its third day on Monday. The encounter began on August 9 after forces received a credible intelligence input about the presence of a group of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in the region.

The hideout, discovered deep inside a hillock, was a 30-40-foot-long natural cave capable of accommodating more than half a dozen people. It had multiple escape routes cleverly camouflaged with grass and bushes, making detection difficult. Officials said the design bore a striking resemblance to tunnel-based tactics used by Hamas militants in Gaza to evade Israe...