Indian Army Continues Operation Akhal in Jammu and Kashmir, Nine Security Force Members Injured

Indian Army officials said on Saturday that two Army soldiers were killed and two others injured in an overnight gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, while the operation entered its ninth day. The encounter has become one of the longest anti-terror operations in the Valley, with security forces maintaining a tight cordon in the Akhal forest area. The soldiers - Lance Naik Pritpal Singh and Sepoy Harminder Singh - were killed in firing on Friday night, bringing the total number of injured security force members since the start of the operation to nine. The Indian Army's Srinagar-based Chinar Corps paid tributes to the soldiers and expressed condolences to the bereaved families, stating that the operation continues.

Key Takeaways:

• Two Army soldiers, Lance Naik Pritpal Singh and Sepoy Harminder Singh, were killed in an overnight gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, bringing the total number of fatalities to nine.
• Two other security personnel were injured in the gunfight, raising the total number of injured security force members since the start of the operation to nine.
• The joint operation, codenamed Operation Akhal, began on August 1 after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the forest area in south Kashmir based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists.
• Four terrorists have been killed so far in the gunfight, with two eliminated on the second day of the encounter.
• Senior police and Army officers, including Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Nalin Prabhat and the Army's Northern Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, are monitoring the operation round-the-clock.
• Security forces have deployed drones, helicopters, and para commandos to track and neutralise the terrorists hiding in dense forest terrain.
• The operation remains ongoing and further details are awaited.

Statistics:

• Nine security force members have been injured since the start of the operation.
• Four terrorists have been killed so far in the gunfight.
• The operation has entered its ninth day.
• Two terrorists were eliminated on the second day of the encounter.

Sources:

• A post on X by the Indian Army's Srinagar-based Chinar Corps.
• Officials quoted in a report by ABP Private Limited.