Day 4 of Operation Akhal: 3 terrorists killed, 4 jawans injured in Kulgam encounter

Kulgam, South Kashmir / New Delhi: Security forces continued their counter-terror operation for the fourth straight day in the Akhal Devsar area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, where three terrorists have been killed and four jawans injured so far. The operation, codenamed Operation Akhal, began on Friday following intelligence inputs about terrorist presence in the area.

Firing and explosions continued through the night as heavily armed militants engaged with the forces in an intense gunfight. The joint operation is being carried out by the Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police, CRPF, and the Special Operations Group (SOG).

The Chinar Corps, in an update on X, said:

“OP AKHAL, Kulgam. Intermittent and intense firefight continued through the night. Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the noose while maintaining contact.”

So far, three terrorists have been neutralised, and four security personnel sustained injuries during the operation. The exact identities of the militants are yet to be confirmed.

This is the latest in a series of anti-terror operations across Jammu & Kashmir in recent days. On July 30, in the Poonch sector, two terrorists were shot dead while attempting to infiltrate across the Line of Control in a separate operation led by the White Knight Corps. Three weapons were recovered in that encounter.

Additionally, on July 29, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament that three high-profile Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists--including Suleman alias Faizal, believed to be involved in the Pahalgam attack--were killed in Operation Mahadev near Dachigam National Park in Srinagar. Four jawans were also injured in that operation.