Kulgam: On the anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, security forces continued their counter-terror operation in the Akhal Devsar area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district for the fifth consecutive day.
So far, one terrorist has been neutralised in the ongoing operation. According to the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, the encounter began on Saturday night and continued into Sunday, with intense and intermittent exchanges of fire. The operation is being conducted jointly by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Special Operations Group (SOG).
“OP AKHAL, Kulgam. Intermittent and intense firefight continued through the night. Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the noose while maintaining contact,” Chinar Corps posted on X (formerly Twitter). “One terrorist has been neutralised by the security forces so far. Operation continues.”
This operation is the latest in a series of successful anti-terror actions by security forces in the Union Territory.
On July 30, in the Poonch sector, the Indian Army’s White Knight Corps foiled an infiltration attempt across the Line of Control (LoC) during Operation Shivashakti. Two terrorists were killed, and three weapons were recovered. “Alert troops of the Indian Army eliminated two terrorists… Swift action and accurate firepower thwarted their nefarious designs,” the White Knight Corps stated.
A day earlier, on July 29, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the Lok Sabha and confirmed that three top Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were eliminated during Operation Mahadev. Among them was Suleman alias Faizal, a top A-category commander, along with two other A-category operatives—Afghan and Jibran—responsible for the deadly Pahalgam attack. The encounter took place near Harwan in the Dachigam National Park area of Srinagar.
“These terrorists, who killed innocent civilians in the Baisaran Valley, have been eliminated by the Indian Army, CRPF, and J&K Police in a joint operation,” Shah said.
The recent string of operations underlines the heightened security focus in Jammu and Kashmir, as forces continue to act on precise intelligence inputs to dismantle terrorist networks in the region.
