Two Indian soldiers were killed in a fierce gun battle with militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, as a nine-day-old gunfight continued on Saturday.
The long-lasting encounter — one of the longest in recent years — is taking place in forest areas that are thickly wooded, where heavily armed militants are holed up.
In a post posted on X, the headquarters of the Army's 15 Corps said: "Chinar Corps pays tribute to the highest sacrifice of the Bravehearts, L/Nk Pritpal Singh and Sep Harminder Singh, in line of duty for the Nation. Their valour and commitment will continue to motivate us. IndianArmy offers deepest condolences and stands with the grieving families. Operation goes on."
Security authorities confirmed that two additional soldiers were injured during clashes overnight, raising the number of injured personnel to 10.
The operation is among the biggest anti-terror raids in the Valley, with hundreds of soldiers engaged in the hunt. Armed helicopters and drones have been pounding suspected militant hideouts deep within Akhal's alpine forests. Drone videos have confirmed explosives being dropped on these sites, with rare blasts and continuous gunfire ringing out in the region.
Special troops, such as the Army para-troopers, are moving ahead with utmost care while air monitoring is on.
The standoff started last Friday when the Army, CRPF, and J&K Police initiated a joint operation after getting inputs of a large number of militants in the Akhal area. One local militant was neutralised in the initial action.
Top police and military commanders have been regularly visiting the site to monitor progress. "Yes, it is taking time due to the challenging terrain and forest area. But we will catch them," exclaimed Nalin Prabhath, Director General of Police, J&K, who is personally overseeing the mission.
Based on police reports, five militants were said to be in the vicinity at the start of the encounter, with at least three suspected to be foreign nationals with jungle warfare expertise. The number of local militants who could challenge security forces has drastically plummeted in recent years.
This operation of high stakes is barely a week after security forces killed three terrorists in the higher altitudes of Srinagar, who were named as the masterminds behind the Pahalgam massacre. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had told Parliament that these Pakistani citizens were the killers of 26 individuals at Pahalgam on April 22 and were neutralised in a well-planned operation.
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