Operation Akhal: 2 Terrorists Killed, Soldier Injured As Kulgam Gunfight Enters Day 3

Kulgam: One Army soldier was injured as the anti-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, in which two militants have been killed so far, continued for the third consecutive day on Sunday.

So far, the Army has officially confirmed killing only one militant at the start of the operation on Friday, though a source told ETV Bharat that one more was killed on Saturday. The same source said that one Army soldier was also injured in the operation late Saturday evening. While he was rushed for medical assistance, the intensity of his injuries is not known yet.

The gunfight began when joint forces, including the Army, CRPF and J&K Police, started a cordon and search operation (CASO) in the Akhal forest area of Kulgam on Friday following intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area.

As they cordoned the area, the security forces came under heavy fire, and an encounter started in which one terrorist was killed on Friday. The gunfight continued on Saturday, in which one more terrorist was killed. The identity of the killed terrorists has not been confirmed so far.

Security personnel keep a vigil amid an ongoing encounter between security forces and terrorists in a forest area at Akhal, in Kulgam district, Jammu and Kashmir, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (PTI)

Intermittent exchange of fire was reported even during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Senior police officials said the operation will continue as several terrorists may be hiding in the area.

They said intermittent firing exchange indicates more terrorists are hiding in the area. Security forces are using drones and thermal imaging to help the cordoning ground forces close in on the hiding terrorists.

Security personnel keep a vigil amid an ongoing encounter between security forces and terrorists in a forest area at Akhal, in Kulgam district, Jammu and Kashmir, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (PTI)

Kulgam encounter comes days after the elimination of three hardcore Pakistani terrorists responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. The three, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Suleman Shah and his two associates, Abu Hamza and Jibran Bhai, responsible for the Pahalgam attack, were killed on July 28 in the higher reaches of Dachigam National Park on the foot of Mahadev mountain peak in Harwan area of Srinagar. The Army code-named this operation as 'Operation Mahadev'.

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