Srinagar, Aug 4 (IANS) The operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district entered its 4th day on Monday as intermittent overnight firing continued in the Akhal forest area of the district.

Officials said intermittent firing and blasts continued in the forest area of the district.

Joint forces, including the Army, CRPF and J&K Police, have extended the area under the CASO (Cordon & Search Operation) as officers are closely monitoring the situation.

One terrorist has been killed and another critically injured in this operation so far, while four soldiers have sustained injuries.

The Army has deployed Rudra helicopters, drones and Para commandos to ensure that the hiding terrorists are unable to escape.

Security forces have been carrying out aggressive operations against the terrorists in the hinterland, while the Army has been on maximum alert guarding the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K.

The elimination of three hardcore Pakistani terrorists responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed, is part of the aggressive operations being carried out by the joint forces.

Three hardcore Pakistani terrorists, including LeT commander Suleman Shah and his two associates Abu Hamza and Jibran Bhai, responsible for the Pahalgam attack, were killed on July 28 in the higher reaches of Dachigam National Park at the foot of Mahadev mountain peak in the Harwan area of Srinagar.

The Army code-named this operation as ‘Operation Mahadev’. After the Pahalgam terror attack, the security forces are carrying out anti-terrorist operations against gun-wielding terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers.

Drug smugglers and drug peddlers are also on the radar of the security forces because it is believed that the funds generated by the hawala money racket and drug smuggling are finally used to sustain terrorism in the union territory.

The coordinated and intelligence-backed operations of the joint forces are aimed at dismantling the ecosystem of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir rather than focusing on just the elimination of the gun-wielding terrorists.

–IANS

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