Srinagar: The anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district entered its fourth day today, with intermittent exchanges of fire and explosions continuing through the night in the dense Akhal Khulsan forest area.
So far, two terrorists have been killed, and three soldiers injured in the ongoing operation. Officials said one of the slain terrorists is believed to be a local.
The encounter which began on August 1 evening after security forces received credible intelligence inputs about the presence of four to five terrorists in the Akhal forest belt.
The operation triggered a fierce exchange of fire, which has continued with varying intensity over the past 72 hours.
The operation is being carried out jointly by the Army’s elite Special Forces, CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police, with support from Rudra attack helicopters and surveillance drones, relentlessly combing the area to flush out the hiding militants. The dense and rugged terrain has made the search effort especially challenging, officials said.
The area remains under a tight cordon to prevent the remaining militants from escaping. Senior security officials are on the ground, closely monitoring the situation.
“When the operation was launched on Friday, initial contact was established, leading to a fierce gunfight. While two terrorists have been neutralized, more are still holed up in the area,” a security official said.
This is the second major encounter in Kashmir within a week.
On July 28 security forces eliminated three Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in an encounter in the Harwan-Dachigam forest area on the outskirts of Srinagar. A day later Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Parliament that the three terrorists were responsible for the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, where 25 tourists and a local pony rider were killed .
