In the early hours of Sunday, Indian Army troops came under fire while conducting an intelligence-based operation in the Dul area of Kishtwar, the Army’s WhiteKnightCorps said.
According to sources, two to three Pakistani terrorists are believed to be hiding in the area, and a fierce gunfight is currently underway.
Sharing the update on X, the White Knight Corps said that alert Indian Army troops launched an intelligence-based operation in the Dul area of Kishtwar in the early hours of August 10, and came in contact with terrorists and the operation is currently underway.
The encounter in Kishtwar comes as ,one of the Valley’s longest-running anti-terror offensives. Two soldiers – Lance Naik Pritpal Singh and Sepoy Harminder Singh – were killed in an overnight exchange of fire on Friday. Two more personnel were injured, taking the total number of wounded to 10 since the operation began.
Operation Akhal was launched on August 1 after specific intelligence inputs indicated the presence of terrorists in a forested area in Akhal, South Kashmir. Over five terrorists have been killed so far in the operation.
The Kishtwar encounter adds to a string of recent clashes in Jammu and Kashmir, highlighting intensified counter-terror measures aimed at eliminating remaining militant strongholds. Security agencies say the operations will continue until all threats are neutralised.
Security forces have stepped up anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attacks, in which Pakistan-based terrorists killed 26 civilians, most of them tourists.
Operation Akhal was launched after troops neutralised the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists responsible for the massacre during Operation Mahadev near Srinagar’s Dachigam area. A day later, on July 29, the Army carried out Operation Shiv Shakti, eliminating two more terrorists.
Since the April 22 attack, security forces have killed nearly 20 high-profile terrorists in a series of targeted operations.