Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar
Srinagar, Aug 2: Three terrorists were neutralised in a fierce encounter with security forces in the Akhal forest area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials confirmed on Saturday.
Acting on credible intelligence inputs regarding the presence of armed militants, a joint team comprising the Indian Army, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) on Friday. An exchange of fire followed, during which one terrorist was killed overnight. Two more were gunned down on Saturday as the operation continued.
"The area is being sanitised to ensure no additional terrorists are hiding," said an official, adding that the identities of the slain militants are being verified, though initial inputs suggest at least two are local operatives.
This operation comes as part of a broader and intensified crackdown by security forces on terror networks across the region. While the Army maintains heightened vigilance along the Line of Control (LoC), joint forces are conducting targeted operations in the hinterland to root out armed militants, their support networks, and facilitators.
Just days earlier, three high-profile Pakistani terrorists — Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Suleman Shah, along with Abu Hamza and Jibran — were killed in Operation Mahadev, a high-altitude assault in the Dachigam National Park near Srinagar. These militants were identified as key perpetrators of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead.
Security agencies believe this ongoing wave of operations is designed not only to eliminate armed militants but also to systematically dismantle the terrorism support ecosystem in the region — including overground workers (OGWs), sympathisers, hawala money channels, and drug trafficking networks suspected of funding terror activities.
Officials say the current strategy is a shift from reactive counter-terrorism to a proactive, intelligence-led campaign aimed at long-term disruption of terror infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.