2 militants killed in Kulgam gunfight

Two militants were killed in an ongoing gunfight in Kulgam district, officials said on Saturday. The Kashmir police said that the gunfight began on Friday in the Akhal area of Kulgam district with the police’s Special Operations Group, Army and Central Reserve Police Force personnel deployed in the joint operation.

On Saturday morning, Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said, “Intermittent and intense fire fight continued through the night.”

“Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the noose while maintaining contact,” the Army wrote on X. “One terrorist has been neutralised by the security forces so far. Operation continues,” the Army said.

Officials said the area where the operation is underway is a “mountainous area” and security forces continue to remain deployed in the area.

J&K Police sources told The Tribune that another militant was killed in the encounter and the operation was underway, taking the number to two.

One of the slain terrorists has been identified as Haris Nazir, who is a local resident. Police sources said that Haris had joined militancy in June 2023.

Earlier on Friday, J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat, accompanied by Kashmir IGP VK Birdi, visited Kulgam to assess the security situation. Hours later, the operation began in the district.

This is the second encounter in Kashmir this week. On Monday, in a major operation, security forces killed three Lashkar-e-Toiba ultras on Srinagar outskirts. The Union Home Minister announced in the Lok Sabha that the three were Pakistanis and were behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, largely tourists, were killed.

After the Pahalgam terror attack, security forces have intensified the counter-insurgency operation across the UT with forces deployed even in the forest areas where militants are believed to be hiding.