A terrorist was killed in an ongoing encounter between security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the Indian Army said on Saturday.
The operation began late Friday after intelligence inputs indicated the presence of militants in the forested Akhal area. Security forces launched a search operation that turned into a gunfight when the militants opened fire, officials said.
“Intermittent and intense fire fight continued through the night. Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the noose while maintaining contact,” the Army’s Chinar Corps said in a post on X. “One terrorist has been neutralised by the security forces so far. Operation (Akhal) continues.”
The encounter in Kulgam comes amid heightened counterterror operations across Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier this week, three militants involved in the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack were killed in a separate operation near Srinagar. The mastermind of the attack, identified as Suleiman alias Asif, was gunned down along with two associates. Jibran, linked to last year’s Sonamarg Tunnel attack, and Hamza Afghani during a gun battle in Mulnar near Dachigam National Park on July 28. The counteroffensive was part of ‘Operation Mahadev’.
In a separate incident on Thursday, two heavily armed terrorists were shot dead near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch. Police said the duo had infiltrated from Pakistan and were intercepted soon after crossing into Indian territory. The security forces are on high alert as operations to flush out remaining militants continue in the region.
