(This story originally appeared in on Aug 11, 2017)

SRINAGAR: Former Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa may have given the slip to security forces after he was reportedly trapped in a house at Noorpora, his native village in Tral in Jammu & Kashmir , on Friday evening.Intense clashes erupted between security forces and stone pelters when local residents tried to provide escape cover to Musa, who, along with his aide, was reportedly holed up in the house. The stone pelting stopped after a few hours. Intelligence sources said that could be because the terrorists may have communicated to the stone-pelters that they had managed to escape.No shots were fired from the house where Musa was suspected to be cornered. Security forces, however, have cordoned off four villages, including Peer Mohalla, Shah Mohalla, Daggarpora and Noorpora to prevent the terrorists from fleeing the area, even if they had managed to escape from the house.Police said that the cordon shall remain in place at Noorpora. Though there were reports of Musa giving the slip to the forces, there was no official confirmation.Top intelligence sources confirmed that Musa, who has formed his own outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind with the help of al-Qaidaafter distancing himself from Hizbul Mujahedeen, was present in the house with his aide when security forces zeroed in.Security forces suspended their operation after sunset. They may continue the operation on Saturday morning. Another police source said that the security forces were suspecting the presence of at least three militants, including Musa.