Terrorist Neutralised in J&K’s Kulgam District, ‘Operation Akhal’ Ongoing: Army
Srinagar:
One terrorist has been killed in an ongoing encounter in the Akhal forest area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the Indian Army confirmed on Friday morning.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs about terrorist presence in the area, security forces launched a cordon and search operation, which escalated into a fierce gunfight after terrorists opened fire. According to the Army’s Chinar Corps, “Intermittent and intense firefight continued through the night. Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the noose while maintaining contact. One terrorist has been neutralised so far. Operation Akhal continues.”
The encounter follows the recent elimination of three terrorists, including Sulieman alias Asif—the alleged mastermind behind the April 22 Pahalgam massacre—in a joint operation codenamed Operation Mahadev near Srinagar on July 28. Two other terrorists killed in that operation were identified as Jibran (linked to the Sonamarg Tunnel attack) and Hamza Afghani.
The April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people—mostly tourists—were brutally killed at Baisaran meadows, led to the launch of Operation Sindoor by Indian forces on May 7 to dismantle terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan.
In a separate encounter on Thursday, two infiltrating terrorists were gunned down near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch after crossing over from Pakistan.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
