The anti-terrorist operation launched by security forces in Akhal forest area in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district entered the fifth day on Tuesday.
“The encounter has entered its fifth day and intermittent exchange of firing between the terrorists and security forces continued throughout the day today also,” an official said.
The security forces were using all means, including drones and helicopters, to track down the terrorists.
As a tight cordon has been laid in the Akhal area, authorities today evacuated some of the villagers who needed medical attention.
Sources said two terrorists have been killed while two security forces personnel have been injured in the encounter which began on Friday.
The encounter had started after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in a forest area at Akhal in the south Kashmir district, following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists there and came under fire from militants.
The identity and group affiliation of the slain terrorists are being ascertained, sources said adding the operation is still underway.
Sources said the operation jointly carried by Army, Police, CRPF and elite Special Forces was being carried out in the more than three square kilometer forest area.
“The operation is being carried out in a very vast and dense forest area. Besides, the group of hiding terrorists have spread themselves in two to three small groups. We are going ahead very cautiously to ensure there is no causality,” they said.
Additional forces have also been deployed to ensure a tight cordon around the vast forest area.
Senior security officers were camping in Kulgam and monitoring the operation.
This is the second major encounter in Kashmir in the last one week.
On July 28 security forces killed three Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in an encounter in the Harwan-Dachigam forest area on the outskirts of Srinagar. The three terrorists were responsible for the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, where 25 tourists and a local pony wala were killed.