Two terrorists have been killed and one injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district during an ongoing operation in the Akhal forest area. The operation, dubbed "Operation Akhal," is currently in its third day.

Security forces, consisting of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army, and CRPF, launched a joint cordon and search operation in the Akhal forest area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Friday, acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding the presence of terrorists. The search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding terrorists fired upon the security forces, who retaliated. An initial exchange of fire occurred before the operation was paused for the night. Additional reinforcements were brought in to tighten the cordon.

The gunfight resumed early Saturday morning, resulting in the elimination of two terrorists. While initial reports suggested one terrorist was injured, authorities have not yet released further details regarding the injured individual. Intermittent and intense firing continued through the night, with alert troops responding with calibrated fire. The area has been cordoned off as the operation continues.

Operation Akhal is the third major encounter in the last seven days. On July 28, three Pakistani terrorists were killed during "Operation Mahadev" in the forested Lidwas area near Harwan, on the outskirts of Srinagar. One of the terrorists was identified as Suleiman, the mastermind of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The other two were identified as Afghan and Jibran. All were senior operatives of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Earlier in the week, two terrorists were also eliminated during "Operation Shivshakti" in a gunfight near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district, following an infiltration attempt.

These operations highlight the continued efforts by security forces to combat terrorism in the region.