Three terrorists killed in J&K’s Kulgam district, security operation still on

August 2, 2025

Srinagar, August 2: Three terrorists were killed in a gunfight between the security forces and the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The official said that after intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the Akhal forest area of Kulgam district, joint forces, including the Army, the Central Reserve Police Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police, started a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) on Friday.

“Exchange of fire between the joint forces and the hiding terrorists took place, and one terrorist was killed overnight while two were killed today. The operation is still going on to sanitise the area and find out if more terrorists are present in the area,” the officials said. “The identity and other details of the slain terrorists are being ascertained, but at least two of them appear to be locals,” officials said.

Security forces have been carrying out aggressive operations against the terrorists in the hinterland, while the Army has been on maximum alert guarding the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

The elimination of three hardcore Pakistani terrorists responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed, is part of the aggressive operations being carried out by the joint forces. Three hardcore Pakistani terrorists, including LeT commander Suleman Shah and his two associates Abu Hamza and Jibran, 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 Operation Mahadev. After the Pahalgam terror attack, the security forces are carrying out anti-terrorist operations against gun-wielding terrorists, their over ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers. Drug smugglers and drug peddlers are also on the radar of the security forces because it is believed that the funds generated by the hawala money racket and drug smuggling are finally used to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

The coordinated and information-backed operations of the joint forces are aimed at dismantling the ecosystem of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir rather than focusing on just the elimination of the gun-wielding terrorists.

Security forces on Saturday killed a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist in Akhal forest of Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir. His body has also been recovered. The terrorist has been identified as Haris Nazir Dar of Pulwama.

Harris was in the list of 14 local terrorists whose names were released by the government on April 26 after the Pahalgam attack. Harris was a C-category terrorist. An AK-47 rifle, magazines, grenades and ammunition have been recovered from him.

Update: OP AKHAL, Kulgam

Intermittent and Intense fire fight continued through the night. Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the nooze while maintaining contact.

One terrorist has been neutralised by the security forces so far.

Operation continues.…

— Chinar Corps🍁 – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) August 2, 2025

There has been firing between security forces and terrorists in Kulgam since last night. Special Operations Group, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and CRPF are carrying out ‘Operation Akhal’. More terrorists are suspected to be hiding there.

Terrorists opened fire during search operation in Kulgam

An officer said that a search operation was launched on Saturday after receiving secret information about terrorist activity in the area. During this, the terrorists started firing on the security forces, after which the encounter started. The information about the total number of terrorists hiding in the forest is not yet known. More security forces have been sent to the area to carry out the operation.

This is the third encounter this week in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, on July 28, security forces killed three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack in the forests of Lidwas under Operation Mahadev. On July 31, two more terrorists were killed during infiltration near the LoC in Poonch.

7 out of 14 local terrorists were killed, now 7 are being searched for

Out of the 14 terrorists whose names were released by the security forces, 7 have been killed so far. Except Haris Nazir, the remaining 6 terrorists were killed during encounters in Shopian and Pulwama in May.

The names of the terrorists killed in Shopian on May 13 were Shahid Kutte, Adnan Shafi, Ahsan ul Haq Sheikh. Aamir Nazir Wani, Yawar Ahmed Bhat and Asif Ahmed Sheikh were killed in the Pulwama encounter on May 15.