File photo showing Indian Army personnel patrolling the border regions in Jammu and Kashmir.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Srinagar: Two unidentified terrorists were killed on Saturday in a fierce gunbattle with security forces in the Akhal forest area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, as part of a continuing counter-terror operation launched in response to the April 22 deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam.
The encounter began on Friday evening after security forces received “credible inputs” about the presence of militants in the Akhal forest area, reports said. A joint team of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the dense forest zone, prompting an initial exchange of fire before nightfall forced a pause in operations.
Firing resumed early Saturday morning, during which two terrorists were gunned down, officials confirmed. The identity and group affiliation of the slain militants was not immediately known.
This fresh engagement comes close on the heels of Operation Mahadev, during which three terrorists affiliated with The Resistance Front, including commander Suleiman alias Musa, were killed. Shah was identified as the chief conspirator in the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 25 tourists and one local resident dead in April.
Security forces had recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from Suleiman’s hideout, including 17 grenades, an M4 carbine, and two AK-47 rifles, underscoring the scale of the group’s firepower and planning.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed in the Parliament that all three terrorists eliminated in Operation Mahadev were directly involved in plotting and executing the Pahalgam attack.
With Operation in Akhal is under way, security agencies believe they are closing in on the remaining operatives involved in Pahalgam attack in which 25 tourists and a local were killed.
The back-to-back operations signal a stepped-up offensive by security forces to dismantle the Lashkar-TRF network believed to be responsible for a new wave of attacks targeting civilians and tourists in the Valley.