Srinagar, April 7 : An overnight anti-militancy operation in Jammu andsouth Kashmir’s Shopian district was called off on Thursday as the militants managed to escape from the area. A brief gun battle erupted in the Haripora area late Wednesday when joint teams of security forces launched a cordon and a search operation. “The initial contact with terrorists was established at around 11 pm. After that there was no exchange of fire. Searches in the village were carried this morning to trace the militants. However, nothing was found and the operation has been called off,” a security official said. Locals said drone cameras were used in a bid to track down the militants. It was not clear when the militants escaped. On Wednesday, two local militants were killed in a gun battle in Tral area of Awantipora. MJR MR