The ongoing anti-terrorist operation, codenamed “Operation Akhal”, is turning out to be one of the biggest counter-terror exercises this year, as a heavily armed group of terrorists, despite suffering casualties, has been continuously engaging a joint team of security forces-led by elite para commandos of the Indian Army since Friday evening.
So far, two terrorists have been neutralised in the encounter, while another is believed to be wounded. Two soldiers also sustained injuries and are currently under treatment. Senior Army and Police officials believe a group of 3-4 terrorists may still be trapped within the cordoned area and efforts are underway to locate and neutralise them. The operation remains active, with intermittent gunfire and explosions reported throughout Saturday night and into Sunday.
The identities and group affiliations of the slain terrorists are yet to be confirmed. However, sources indicate they may be local terrorists affiliated with the Terrorist Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) terrorist outfit. The presence of foreign terrorists inside the hideout cannot be ruled out, given the prolonged, fierce gunfight.
The operation is being closely monitored by Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s 15 Corps Lt-Gen Prashant Srivastava.
DGP Prabhat visited the encounter site on Saturday and Lt-Gen Srivastava was on ground-zero on Sunday to review the ongoing operation and coordinate with ground forces.
The security forces have mobilised additional forces to plug the gaps and prevent the holed-up terrorists from breaching the outer cordon and fleeing, taking advantage of the thickly forested area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
Security forces are also utilising high-tech equipment, including surveillance drones, thermal imaging devices and night vision technology, to track terrorist movements within the dense foliage. Air surveillance support from helicopters has been instrumental in pinpointing the terrorists’ locations, enabling forces to plan a decisive assault. On ground zero, the security forces are exercising restraint to avoid any collateral damage.
Last year, six terrorists were neutralised by the security forces in two back-to-back encounters in the Modergam and Chinnigam villages of Kulgam in the first week of July 2024.
The operation began on Friday evening when a joint team comprising the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) initiated a cordon-and-search operation in the rugged, forested terrain of Akhal, located in the Devsar area of Kulgam district.
Operation Akhal is the third major anti-terror operation within the past week, following the successful “Operation Mahadev” in Srinagar’s Dachigam forest on July 28. During that operation, three Pakistani terrorists, involved in the Pahalgam attack, were eliminated by the Army’s elite Para Commandos. Two more terrorists were gunned down along the LoC in the frontier Poonch district during Operation Shiv Shakti on July 30.