An encounter is underway between security forces and terrorists in the Akhal forest area of Devsar locality in Jammu and Kashmir's south Kulgam district on Friday. As per preliminary reports, two terrorists are believed to be trapped by forces in the area.
The gunfight comes amid Operation Mahadev, a counter terrorist crackdown launched by the Indian paramilitary forces, in which three terrorists, involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, were killed earlier this week.
Kashmir Zone Police said a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and the CRPF are involved in the operation and the gunfight in going on.
Indian security forces have intensified their counterterrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir, eliminating several militants in separate encounters over the past few days.
Terrorists killed near LoC in Poonch
Just days ago, security forces foiled an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, killing two terrorists in a gunfight. The encounter took place late Tuesday night in the Kalsian-Gulpur area of the Degwar sector, where the Indian Army intercepted a group of two to three militants attempting to cross over from across the border.
Pahalgam attackers killed in Operation Mahadev
In a major breakthrough, Indian forces on July 28 gunned down three Pakistani terrorists in a forested area near Harwan on the outskirts of Srinagar. The operation, codenamed ‘Operation Mahadev’, targeted those responsible for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking in the Lok Sabha, confirmed that all three slain militants were senior members of the Pakistan-based banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. He identified Suleiman as the mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack, while the others were named Afghan and Jibran.
Their identities were verified through information provided by individuals previously arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for sheltering the attackers.
These recent successes mark a significant step in the government’s ongoing efforts to dismantle terror networks operating in the region.
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