Umaisar Gull Ganie
Kulgam, Aug 6: The massive anti-terrorist operation in the dense Akhal forest area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district continued for sixth running day on Wednesday, with security forces intensifying search for terrorists believed to be hiding in the rugged terrain.
The Akhal encounter, one of the longest this year, began on Friday after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in a forest area at Akhal in the south Kashmir district, following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists there, officials said.
“After an initial exchange of fire between the two sides on Friday evening, the operation was halted for the night, but the cordon was strengthened and additional reinforcements were rushed to the area,” they said, adding, “Firing resumed on Saturday morning, during which one terrorist was killed. Till date, continuous firing and explosions have been heard in the area.”
A senior police official said that the operation remains active and is likely to continue for another two to three days due to the challenging terrain and changing weather conditions.
“The area is densely forested, making the search effort extremely difficult. We are taking every possible measure to flush out the hiding terrorists,” the official said.
So far, the body of one terrorist has been recovered and four soldiers have also been injured during the gun battle.
Initial intelligence inputs had indicated the presence of five terrorists in the area. Despite heavy firing over the last six days, the terrorists have managed to hide in the thick forest cover.
To bolster the search efforts, security forces have deployed Rudra attack helicopters, surveillance drones, sniffer dogs, and elite units of the Army’s Special Forces. Additional reinforcements have also been moved in from neighbouring districts, officials added.
Top security officials, including Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat and General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s 15 Corps, Lt Gen Prashant Srivastava, have visited the encounter site to assess the situation on the ground and guide the ongoing operation.
The entire forest belt has been cordoned off, and search operations have been extended to adjacent forest areas to prevent any escape attempt by the terrorists.
