Srinagar: The security operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district continued for a third day on Sunday, after two terrorists were killed and another was critically injured in encounters over the past two days.
The joint operation by the Army, CRPF and J&K Police began on Friday in the Akhal forest area following intelligence inputs about the presence of militants. After the area was cordoned off, security forces came under fire, triggering an encounter in which one terrorist was killed on Friday and another on Saturday.
Officials said the third terrorist was seriously wounded, but intermittent firing during the night suggested that either he or other militants may still be hiding in the area. Drones and thermal imaging equipment are being used to assist ground forces in locating them.
Both slain militants have been identified as locals. Senior police officers said the operation would continue as more terrorists could be present in the area.
Security forces have stepped up operations against militants in the hinterland while maintaining heightened vigil along the Line of Control.
The recent operations follow the elimination on 28 July of three Pakistani terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Suleman Shah and his associates Abu Hamza and Jibran Bhai, who were behind the 22 April Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. The encounter took place in the higher reaches of Dachigam National Park near Srinagar and was codenamed ‘Operation Mahadev’.
Post the Pahalgam attack, security agencies have intensified their crackdown on terrorists, overground workers, sympathizers and drug smugglers, as funds from hawala networks and narcotics trade are believed to fuel militancy in the region.
Officials said the ongoing operations are aimed at dismantling the entire terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir, rather than merely targeting armed militants.